A Black educator and homeschooling mom has launched a free online course for children to learn about Black Lives Matter protests, police brutality and the history of the Civil Rights Movement.

Sheva Quinn, Ph.D., a retired U.S. Air Force veteran and mother of two girls, created the course for parents who know Black history is too vital to be absent from their children’s curriculum. Quinn, who holds a doctorate in education, discusses Black historical figures and focuses on making educational material relatable, according to NBC News.

The former classroom teacher and founder of the Black Classical University said there are lesson plans in her program for people of all ages to build their knowledge of social justice issues.

“When I initially opened up the course, the target audience was grades 4-12. But, in reality, I had kids in there that was as young as 5 years old and adults,” she said.

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting operations at academic institutions nationwide, Quinn’s aim was to provide a program where youth can not only develop their education but expand their world view, despite the current challenges to their education.

"Right now, I am inundated with parents who want to enroll their children in my program because they are apprehensive about sending them back to school with COVID," Quinn told Patch in June. "They wanted an environment where children can see teachers who look like them, teach history related to them and with the Black Lives Matter protests and social injustices going on, they are being forced to have these discussions and some parents don't know how to do that. We can't shelter them when it is their reality."

Tequila Menard, a parent in San Antonio, Texas, enrolled her daughters in Quinn’s course and said her children are enjoying the class. Menard’s daughters attended an all-white school, and she noticed they were more engaged with Quinn’s lessons. One of the benefits of the course, she said, is that it is Black history being taught by a Black woman.

“Her class is just opening up a totally different piece for my kids and they're intrigued,” Menard said.

Meg Brunson, a white mom sending two of her children to Quinn’s program, said it’s often difficult having conversations with her Black child about issues regarding race. Brunson said the course has provided an outlet for her children to have those important conversations and reflections.

“Raising children with two different races, so having a Black child and then having three white children, it's difficult for me to teach some of these issues as it relates to race. They’ll ask me questions sometimes that I’m not quite comfortable answering because I don't have those experiences as a white woman,” she said.

Brunson said she wants her children to grasp how important knowing Black history is in fully understanding American history.

“Because right now, we’re being taught just a small perspective on American history, and we’re not getting the whole picture. And without the whole picture, that’s what’s prohibiting us from seeing the racial injustices that are happening," she said.

According to NBC, 500 parents have signed up for the summer session of Quinn’s course. Quinn, who started her professional education career at 19, also teaches other subjects like coding, writing and the Black experience following the Civil War. The free “Black Lives Matter 101” class was specifically crafted to build students' awareness of activism.

"We will talk about the circumstances surrounding Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and others," Quinn said. "We also have guest speakers who have been at the forefront of protests, in law, in history and more. The thing is this is nothing new. It's just that the cameras are here now. This course is designed to make them more aware, see what activism looks like and understand what they may be up against."

The summer course will wrap up in mid-August, but Quinn has confirmed that a session will be offered for the fall, per Patch.

At home, Quinn stays busy by homeschooling her girls Ziggy and Tootie and helping them run a bakery business. Quinn’s daughters opened Ziggy and Tootie Cakes in 2019 and have been in the cupcake business since 2014, according to WMAZ.

At first, the girls were in the kitchen “experimenting,” but Quinn said their business took off after she posted pictures of her their cakes on social media. After five years of operating the business out of their home, the girls were able to open a brick-and-mortar bakery on January 1, 2019, in Byron, Georgia.

Dr.Sheva-Quinn

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