About Us
Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman
Founding Director
Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, EdD is a community organizer, former homeschooling mother, and cultural architect with over 20 years of experience transforming spaces into vibrant arts and educational hubs. Her work interrogates perceptions of identity, justice, and place, often centering the lived experiences of Black women. She is the founder/director of Liberated Muse Arts Group, the nonprofit Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice, Inc., and Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES), LLC. A tenured full professor in the Humanities department at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, she served as the second Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, MD from 2023-2025.
Embracing her multifaceted identity as a creator, Dr. Ali-Coleman is also the award-winning performance artist Khadijah Moon and a multi-genre writer whose work spans poetry, songwriting, playwriting, and filmmaking. Her plays, songs, and poetry have been staged, workshopped, and read on dozens of stages, including Alexandria Public Library System (Virginia), Little Black Pearl (Chicago, IL), ARTSCAPE (Baltimore, MD), Capital Fringe Festival (DC), DC Arts Center (DC), Theatre Alliance (DC), Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (DC), Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival (DC), DC Public Library(DC), Bonfant Theatre (MD), Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (MD), United States Peace Corps(DC), Anacostia Arts Center (DC), The Apollo (NYC), and more!
Dr. Ali-Coleman has executive produced numerous digital, stage and recording projects, including her debut CD project, Song of a Space Cadet (2016), the Liberated Muse CD, Awakening (2018), the soundtrack, When We Were Goddesses (2017), Running: AMOK (2010), and the audio version of her book, The Summoning of Black Joy (2025).
Her journalistic bylines have appeared in over 25 print and digital publications, including Pathways Magazine, EBONY, The Washington Informer, The Afro, East of the River Magazine, The Kappan, SoulBounce, Honey Magazine, SoulTrain.com, Romper, and, The Baltimore Times.
Dr. Ali-Coleman is the author of several poetry collections, including A Park Stands on All of Our Graves (2025), For the Girls Who Do Too Much (2024) and The Summoning of Black Joy (2023). She also authored the children’s book Mariah's Maracas (2018) and edited Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice and Popular Culture (2022), and the book, Homeschooling Black Children on a College Pathway (2026), presented by Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES), and published by Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice, Inc.
Dr. Ali-Coleman holds a doctorate in Education, focused on Community College Leadership/Higher Education from Morgan State University, a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Towson University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (African American Studies and Mass Media) with a minor in Writing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She was recognized as an Outstanding UMBC Alumna in 2024.
Embracing her multifaceted identity as a creator, Dr. Ali-Coleman is also the award-winning performance artist Khadijah Moon and a multi-genre writer whose work spans poetry, songwriting, playwriting, and filmmaking. Her plays, songs, and poetry have been staged, workshopped, and read on dozens of stages, including Alexandria Public Library System (Virginia), Little Black Pearl (Chicago, IL), ARTSCAPE (Baltimore, MD), Capital Fringe Festival (DC), DC Arts Center (DC), Theatre Alliance (DC), Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (DC), Kennedy Center’s Page to Stage Festival (DC), DC Public Library(DC), Bonfant Theatre (MD), Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (MD), United States Peace Corps(DC), Anacostia Arts Center (DC), The Apollo (NYC), and more!
Dr. Ali-Coleman has executive produced numerous digital, stage and recording projects, including her debut CD project, Song of a Space Cadet (2016), the Liberated Muse CD, Awakening (2018), the soundtrack, When We Were Goddesses (2017), Running: AMOK (2010), and the audio version of her book, The Summoning of Black Joy (2025).
Her journalistic bylines have appeared in over 25 print and digital publications, including Pathways Magazine, EBONY, The Washington Informer, The Afro, East of the River Magazine, The Kappan, SoulBounce, Honey Magazine, SoulTrain.com, Romper, and, The Baltimore Times.
Dr. Ali-Coleman is the author of several poetry collections, including A Park Stands on All of Our Graves (2025), For the Girls Who Do Too Much (2024) and The Summoning of Black Joy (2023). She also authored the children’s book Mariah's Maracas (2018) and edited Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice and Popular Culture (2022), and the book, Homeschooling Black Children on a College Pathway (2026), presented by Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES), and published by Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice, Inc.
Dr. Ali-Coleman holds a doctorate in Education, focused on Community College Leadership/Higher Education from Morgan State University, a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Towson University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (African American Studies and Mass Media) with a minor in Writing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She was recognized as an Outstanding UMBC Alumna in 2024.
Our Mission
Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES) is dedicated to fostering a thriving community for Black homeschooling families by bridging the gap between scholarly research and practical application. Through our innovative teach-ins, publications, and virtual platforms, we empower families with culturally relevant resources, support, and knowledge. Our mission is to create an affirming space where educators, researchers, and homeschooling parents can connect, share insights, and enhance the educational experiences of Black children. We are committed to expanding the literature on Black homeschooling and providing opportunities for professional development, community engagement, and academic excellence.
Our History
Black Family Homeschool Educators & Scholars (BFHES)
How We Began
Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES), LLC is a family-run education research organization. BFHES was co-founded in April 2020 by Black homeschool researcher Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman. At the time, Dr. Ali-Coleman had just defended her doctoral dissertation on dual-enrolled African American homeschooled students and their perceptions of preparedness for community college. Amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was offered an opportunity to publish her dissertation as a book. Instead, she chose to edit an anthology that would amplify Black voices in the homeschooling space, addressing a gap she had observed during her research. Using her skills as a web designer and content creator, she built the social media platform spaces and website to create an online portal for BFHES. The space has become a repository of information on Black homeschooling.
As a homeschooling mother and researcher, Dr. Ali-Coleman sought to expand the research literature and create a platform for other parents and scholars to share their experiences and studies. This vision led to the creation of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars Virtual Teach-In, which debuted in summer 2020. The inaugural event featured over 20 speakers and drew more than 200 participants for a week-long program. Simultaneously, BFHES initiated a call for submissions for the anthology Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice & Popular Culture. Released in 2022, the book features chapters from over 12 contributors and became the first publication in the Contemporary Perspectives on Black Homeschooling series, published in collaboration with Information Age Publishing.
Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES), LLC is a family-run education research organization. BFHES was co-founded in April 2020 by Black homeschool researcher Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman. At the time, Dr. Ali-Coleman had just defended her doctoral dissertation on dual-enrolled African American homeschooled students and their perceptions of preparedness for community college. Amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was offered an opportunity to publish her dissertation as a book. Instead, she chose to edit an anthology that would amplify Black voices in the homeschooling space, addressing a gap she had observed during her research. Using her skills as a web designer and content creator, she built the social media platform spaces and website to create an online portal for BFHES. The space has become a repository of information on Black homeschooling.
As a homeschooling mother and researcher, Dr. Ali-Coleman sought to expand the research literature and create a platform for other parents and scholars to share their experiences and studies. This vision led to the creation of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars Virtual Teach-In, which debuted in summer 2020. The inaugural event featured over 20 speakers and drew more than 200 participants for a week-long program. Simultaneously, BFHES initiated a call for submissions for the anthology Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice & Popular Culture. Released in 2022, the book features chapters from over 12 contributors and became the first publication in the Contemporary Perspectives on Black Homeschooling series, published in collaboration with Information Age Publishing.
New Team and Frequent Collaborators
In late 2021, Dr. Ali-Coleman became the sole owner and managing director of BFHES, which is formally registered in Maryland but serves a national audience. The organization continues to bridge research and practice by publishing scholarly works and engaging homeschooling practitioners.
In 2024, with support from a grant from VELA, BFHES hired its first staff member, Khari Dawson, as the programs and operations coordinator who also teaches in our microschool, American Institute of Home Education, that debuted in 2025.
Khari Dawson (she/her) is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. She has worked as a farmer and naturalist camp counselor, working with ECO City Farm, Our Space World, Inc. and Homestead Gardens Nursery. She recently served as a Community Manager with the new social media space, Swell, and hosted and produced the KUSF.org radio show, Amygdala Music.
A multigenre writer who has been published in POETRY magazine, Cult, Creative Currents, and the Rebel's Zeitgeist, Khari has received grant awards and fellowships from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Martha's Vineyard Creative Writing Institute and the Watering Hole Poetry. A formerly homeschooled student, she holds a BA in English and a minor in Film Studies from the University of San Francisco. Khari left BFHES in 2025 as program coordinator and currently teaches elementary-aged children at an independent school while continuing to have her written work published. She occasionally returns to present workshops to homeschooling parents, assisting her mother, Dr. Ali-Coleman, with the management of the company. She is the face on the cover of the book, Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice & Popular Culture, which features her portrait as a young homeschooler.
Since the start of the company and our annual teach-ins, we have been privileged to call the follwowing veteran homeschooling parents community members as they are part of our collective of parents who lead workshops during our teach-in and varied events for Black parents who are new to homeschooling:
Jade Wetherington of TeacherJade.com
Kendra Price of A Heart for Homeschool
Sherri Mehta of Vibrant Minds Homeschool Co-op
Queen Taese Snowden of Liberated Minds
Jason Esters of Black Men Homeschool
Matthew Rankin of Homeschool for the Culture
Natalie Mack of Military Homeschoolers
Dannielle Joy Davis of Saint Louis University
Zsudayka Terrell of Terrell Arts Studios
Cheryl Carter of Collegiate Academy
Alycia Comer-Wright of Cultural Roots Homeschool Academy
Journei Bimwala of Each One, Carry One
Monica Utsey of Sankofa Homeschool Collective
Join Our Community and Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel
BFHES remains active in the homeschooling community through its podcast, Contemporary Perspectives on Black Homeschooling, and a vibrant Facebook group that has grown to over 4,000 members since July 2020.
The organization's mission, established in 2020, is to promote ongoing community engagement with Black homeschooling through (1) publishing scholarly and trade works and (2) producing community events for Black homeschool families and entrepreneurs. Since 2022, BFHES has expanded its focus to include training Black parents on homeschooling best practices and youth development theory, as well as connecting them to resources and opportunities to enhance their homeschooling journeys.
BFHES is the first U.S.-based research and education group dedicated exclusively to Black family homeschooling. Subscribe now to our YouTube channel.
Our Community of Black Family Homeschool Educators & Scholars Continues to Grow
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