Clayton mom starts group to connect with African-American families, homeschoolers

Sabrina Williams and her family moved to the Triangle from the Washington, D.C., area last summer. Even before Williams' new home in Clayton was complete in October, she already was busy creating a new network of friends for herself, her husband and her two kids, who are homeschooled.

In just a few months after launching the site, nearly 40 families have joined the group. They gather for social events, including park days, potlucks, cook outs and more.

"It's really great to connect with other families who are similarly situated and have similar experiences," said Williams, who spent years working in the corporate world before leaving to homeschool her kids, ages 8 and 10. "It's been a really great avenue."

By coincidence, several of the families homeschool their kids. Williams was thrilled to meet up with other African-American homeschoolers especially considering that less than 1 percent of African-American children are homeschooled, according to the federal Digest of Education Statistics. That number is growing, according to the National Home Education Research Institute, which has found that 15 percent of homeschool families are non-white.

Williams' group has been able to get together during the week for activities and to talk about curriculum, such as finding social studies or science texts that highlight the achievements of African-American leaders and scientists.

"We're raising our kids in a very expansive, progressive mindset, but at the end of the day, race does matter in this country," she said. "It's nice for them to see other African-American homeschoolers."

Williams doesn't have big plans for the group right now. As the weather warms up, she expects the group will get busier with outdoor activities.

"My vision is once a week, we get together, all of the kids play and the moms talk and we have a really great time," she said.