AMBER O’NEAL JOHNSTON
A PLACE TO BELONG:
Raising Kids to Celebrate Their Heritage, Community, and the World
A guide for families of all backgrounds to celebrate cultural heritage and embrace inclusivity in the home and beyond.
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Gone are the days when socially conscious parents feel comfortable teaching their children to merely tolerate others. Instead, they are looking for a way to authentically embrace the fullness of their diverse communities. A Place to Belong offers a path forward for families to honor their cultural heritage and champion diversity in the context of daily family life by:
- Fostering open dialogue around discrimination, race, gender, disability, and class
- Teaching “hard history” in an age-appropriate way
- Curating a diverse selection of books and media choices in which children see themselves and people who are different
- Celebrating cultural heritage through art, music, and poetry
- Modeling activism and engaging in community service projects as a family
Amber O’Neal Johnston shows parents of all backgrounds how to create a home environment where children feel secure in their own personhood and culture, enabling them to better understand and appreciate people who are racially and culturally different. A Place to Belong gives parents the tools to empower children to embrace their unique identities while feeling beautifully tethered to their global community.
SOUL SCHOOL
Taking Kids On a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture
A must-have addition to the shelf for any parent hoping to introduce more inclusive books into the home, with 100+ essential titles for early readers through high school.
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Soul School books are must-have mirrors for Black children and priceless windows for others, but first and foremost, they’re captivating stories. And while they’re sure to hold a special place in the hearts of Black families, they are unequivocally and without hesitation for all children.
In addition to the booklists, Johnston artfully weaves together chapters covering knowledge of the past and awareness of the present by examining cultural values, historical highlights, and the power of storytelling while teaching families what to look for and how to enjoy prose, verse, and illustrations that celebrate Black American culture.
Covering toddlers to teens and everyone in between, Soul School offers over one hundred of the best children’s, middle grade, and young adult books available today, each accompanied by discussion questions, activities, and related resource recommendations. This revolutionary contribution to the literary lives of children is long overdue and sorely needed in homes and classrooms everywhere.
HOMEGROWN:
Guidance and Inspiration for Navigating Your Homeschooling Journey
Homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education in America, and it’s here to stay. Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooler, wrapping up your first year, or just exploring the idea, Homegrown is your go-to resource for everything you need to start with confidence and grow with purpose. Each chapter invites you to reimagine what education can look like when it’s rooted in freedom, intention, and the unique needs of your family.
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This collection of thirty original, thought-provoking pieces from a diverse group of contributors covers common questions such as:
- What fuels families to educate children at home?
- How do relationships, culture, and vision affect the decision to homeschool?
- What roles do spouses, friends, extended family, and communities play in our ability to homeschool?
- How do culture, heritage, history, and legacy seamlessly intertwine with reading, writing, and arithmetic?
- Why is raising our kids this way so important, and how do we prioritize it?
Whether you aim to nurture your child’s passions, support their individual learning style, or connect with a community of like-minded families, this book will be your trusted companion every step of the way. The top homeschooling voices in these essays span age, race, ethnicity, political beliefs, geography, religion, family size, educational philosophy, and more, providing parents with guidance and inspiration to kickstart or refine their homeschooling practice with creativity, connection, and confidence.
About the Author
Amber O’Neal Johnston
Amber O’Neal Johnston is an author, speaker, and worldschooling mama who curates a life-giving, culturally rich home education for her four children—and encourages others to do the same. She champions the use of books and lessons that reflect the lived experiences of children and introduce them to lives and cultures beyond their own, offering both “mirrors and windows” through the power of story. Amber shares resources and reflections at HeritageMom.com and @heritagemomblog. She is the author of A Place to Belong, a guide for raising kids to celebrate their heritage, community, and the world, and Soul School, a masterfully curated collection of booklists that explore the fullness of the Black American cultural experience. Amber is also the editor of Homegrown, a collaborative work offering guidance and inspiration for navigating the homeschooling journey.