Whether we realize it or not, homeschooling has long been considered the territory of white, primarily religious families with the time and money to do so. Most often they are seeking individualized and advanced coursework for their gifted children, while most people of other races who take that plunge are trying to gain fairness and a quality education for their equally deserving children.

Even before the pandemic closed schools in 2019, the number of children being homeschooled had been steadily rising, with the most significant increases seen among Black, Latino, and Asian households. Now, after having been offered homeschooling as the primary option in the 2020 academic year, the portion of parents withdrawing their children from public or private schools has jumped from 5% to 11%.

However, the sharpest growth has been among Black families. Although they typically don't have the time or the means to offer their children this option, or tend to avoid it out of respect for those who fought for equal education under Brown v. Board of Education, the percentage of Black students homeschooled before the pandemic now sits at 16%, up from 3%.

Educators are hoping that a rise in vaccination rates and decline in infection rates will be enough to persuade these parents to bring their children back to classrooms, most likely because public schools rely on per-pupil funding from state governments. What they aren't considering is that despite 75% of the Black community being against vaccinations, they also have larger concerns about their children's education. These could lead to this homeschooling upswing being permanent.

It's no secret that inequality is still deeply rooted in the American public school system. Academic achievement is still correlated to whiteness, and the gaps in performance between white and Asian students and Black and Latino students prove that. Before the pandemic, Black families who participated in homeschooling were often pushed out of traditional school systems. Their children suffered from racist treatment in classrooms that drastically affected their education.

Black parents have long been aware that schools were failing their children and that racial disparities include subject matter (what is taught and what isn't) as well as treatment. Black students suffer from a lack of academic support in the classroom, and bullying from students as well as teachers. Known to be more harshly punished in schools, Black students are also more likely to be arrested, and are intentionally being left behind while their parents are being ignored by school administrators.

In an on-brand move for the American government, state officials and textbook manufacturers have been attempting to rewrite history in the worst ways, from the 2015 McGraw-Hill textbook scandal — in which slavery was described as "the immigration of workers," with no mention of Africans being forced to the US — to the bills recently proposed that bar K-12 schools from teaching "certain concepts related to race."

The website Education Week states that as of August 26, 2021, 27 states have introduced bills or other steps to restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism. Its analysis also states that Republicans in Congress want to cut funding for schools that use lessons based on "The 1619 Project" by the New York Times, which reexamines US history through the enduring effects of slavery.

Moreover, Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman introduced a bill that dictates how DC public school teachers can discuss racism and sexism, and Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler has proposed legislation that would forbid teaching critical race theory in military schools.

If schools are banned from talking about racial issues in the classroom, all students go without learning most of our nation's history. It's important for all children to learn about race, so history doesn't repeat itself. But it's especially important for Black children. This is how they learn who they are and don't hate themselves for being Black.

Many parents were already frustrated with their children's education, long before the pandemic. Circumstances just provided an opportunity to give homeschooling a try, and these new racist restrictions will serve as a reason to permanently pursue homeschooling as a way to avoid Black children receiving a whitewashed education.