According to white people, white proximity-loving Black people and the current social media discourse, my mother was a terrible parent.
A few years ago, while writing my second book, I interviewed my mother about a parenting decision that affected my entire life. Specifically, I wanted to know why she decided to homeschool me and my siblings for what would’ve been our elementary school years. Her answer?
“I do not believe a Black child’s humanity could be fully realized in the presence of whiteness.”
That choice impacted my life in ways I am just beginning to understand. Sure, it produced children who were more confident in their identity, history and sense of self, but in many ways, it hampered our education.
If I were accustomed to writing my name on every paper, my teachers wouldn’t have given me so many zeroes on homework assignments. Could I have been accepted into Harvard if I had better grades? Would I have assimilated more easily if I wasn’t so suspicious of white people? Did my mother’s personal, politically driven decision hamper or help me?
Apparently, the internet knows.
On Sunday, The New York Times Magazine published “In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray Own?” Written by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, the article reexamined the family’s decision that Hannah-Jones chronicled in another deeply personal piece in The New York Times 10 years ago.
What followed could only be described as a dumpster fire.
