We tend to look at racism from our country’s perspective – for my family, as part of U.S. history. This year though, we looked at it from a more global perspective in a homeschool unit study on racism.
While we do talk about current events in our homeschooling – such as the black lives matter movement – it’s helpful to identify some of the root causes of current conditions. It’s also much easier to identify bias and see a more balanced perspective when looking at events from the past. Through history, we develop critical thinking skills and a sense of right and wrong. We can see the weight of decisions by leaders and how they played out over time.
Exploration
At its best, homeschooling study takes on a life of its own as you investigate resources and follow those that capture your attention. History is a particularly rich area of study, with a nearly infinite number of stories and lessons. It’s one of my favorite areas to get creative in our learning. Through exploration, we can gain meaningful and lasting knowledge.
Below is the general path of study we took with our recent homeschool unit study on racism. It’s by no means a comprehensive look at racism over the course of world history. Instead, it’s a selective study of some key elements of racism from a U.S. and global perspective. I’ve included a few of the resources we used at the bottom of this post.
Our Starting Point
We chose to start by reading Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali by P. James Oliver. This extremely readable book offers up a look at Mali during its Golden Age in the 1300s when it was the second most powerful empire in the world. Mansa Musa, a black man, was the richest person in the world at the time and one of the richest ever, even by today’s standards. The book centers on Mansa Musa’s hajj, or religious pilgrimage, to Mecca and his encounters with other cultures. At the time, slavery was present in the world but not tied to race.
The Evolution of Race
Race was a term originally used to signify kinship or group connection. The terms white, race, and slaves were all brought to the U.S. by the Europeans. However, these terms did not have the same definitions that they hold today. Instead, they slowly evolved to justify the economic needs of colonizing nations.
Our resources for this included the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (link below) along with readings about the physician Samuel Morton and others who tried to prove the superiority of whites through what has been termed scientific racism.
Slavery in the U.S.
We had already covered slavery and the civil rights movement in U.S. History in our previous studies. This time through, we focused more on how the rights of slaves changed as the demands of colonization increased. Once again, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History provided a starting point for further exploration. We were able to follow the gradual decline of African American rights in direct proportion to the needs of the white colonials in the United States.
Racism in South Africa
A more global perspective was inspired by a book I read this winter by Desmond Tutu, the late Archbishop Emeritus of South Africa and also a human rights and anti-apartheid activist. Realizing that we’ve never fully studied apartheid, we returned to Africa.
From Mali in the 1300s, we moved several hundred years forward and down to the tip of the continent to look at South African colonization by the Dutch and British.
After gaining background on Dutch and British settlers, we focused on ‘Understanding Apartheid’, an online learning tool offered by the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. This excellent resource (link below) took us through the origins and establishment of apartheid and the long struggle towards its abolishment.
We finished things off by meeting with a friend and former coworker of mine who grew up in South Africa during apartheid. Born in the 60s, she shared her unique insider perspective and also inspired us to watch Invictus, the movie about the 1995 South Africa rugby team, and to read Born A Crime, Trevor Noah’s book on growing up biracial in South Africa.
This is Homeschooling
For us, this is homeschooling at its best. Through this individualized learning process, we developed a broader understanding of the roots of racism in our country and abroad. We’ll remember it. And it will help us better understand our world today.
I’d love to hear how you’ve approached the topic of racism in your homeschooling.
Suggested Resources:
Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali by P. James Oliver (book), suitable for upper elementary through high school.
Talking About Race Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, suitable for middle through high school.
Understanding Apartheid Apartheid Museum Resources (Johannesburg, South Africa), suitable for middle school through high school.
Invictus, 2009 movie about the 1995 Rugby World Cup with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, PG-13.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (book) – Adult and younger reader versions available.
Also, The Book of Joy by Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama – high school and adult. In addition to offering glimpses of Tutu’s work against apartheid, this book inspired my post Six Ways to Reclaim Joy in Your Homeschooling.
Cover photo – Cape Town, South Africa photo credit: Canva