The Ubuntu-like Characteristics of Black Home Educators’ Community

• In Event: More Than a Bandaid: How Black Mothers Remedy and Repair in Homeschool Communities

Abstract

The African concept of Ubuntu commonly translated as “I am because you/we are” contrasts sharply with American values of individualism and competition (Battle, 2009). People who live by Ubuntu believe the only way they can know themselves is by being in community with others. Ubuntu does not value competition with others, or the concept of survival of the fittest. Through Ubuntu, we can learn to see that regardless of our differences, as human beings we are interconnected. Historically, we know that Ubuntu-like qualities existed in segregated Black communities. When school boards denied Black communities land or lumber to build their schools, community members who did not have children donated the necessary resources (Walker, 1996) . These Ubuntu-like actions were supported by cultural adages such as “each one, reach one” which served as a reminder to share with others and to bring others along as you advance. This paper presents findings from an exploration of the significance of the role of community in the lives of Black children and families who homeschool. More specifically, this research sought the ways contemporary Black home educators embody the spirit of Ubuntu within their communities.
The research literature on Black home education has focused primarily on motivations (Fields-Smith and Williams, 2009; Mazama and Lundy, 2013) less is known about the roles of community among Black homeschool families. This research documents the in-depth relationships and connections Black home educators have built within their communities and beyond. Community is broadly defined to refer to connections beyond geographic boundaries such as intergenerational relations. The concept of Ubuntu contributes toward the understanding of the role of community in informing Black home educators’ practices and ways of doing and knowing.
Preliminary findings suggest that like Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Black home educators’ sense of community emerge from a broad context of entities such as churches, co-ops, local support groups, online homeschool groups, community-based organizations (e.g. YMCA, libraries, youth organizations), and neighbors in varying combinations. The relationships/interactions that occur within their diverse communities embody Ubuntu-like characteristics such as respect for elders/veteran home educators, mutual trust, resource sharing, confidence building, encouragement, nurturing/mentoring, sustainability, vulnerability sharing, selflessness, and caring. The presentation will include implications of findings for community engagement in students’ learning in traditional school contexts.

Author

• Cheryl A. Fields-Smith, University of Georgia