Episode 4:
Parallel Narratives with Amber Johnston
from "Heritage Mom" blog
Welcome Friend!
As we continue with our “History in Multicultural Homes” series, in this episode Erika chit chats over chai tea with Amber Johnston from “Heritage Mom”.
Amber is an experienced homeschooling mama who’s been following the Charlotte Mason philosophy with her 4 children from the beginning. Her heart’s desire has been to give her kids a Gospel-centered education where she can present ALL their studies through the lens of being His children. Amber’s also hilarious, a powerful speaker and a good friend.
Listen as Amber shares her journey in learning to treat her children as born persons, gaining confidence in following Miss Mason’s principles and methods in a way that honors their African-American heritage, and balancing out traditional studies along with the stories of people of color that fully represent the Gospel.
We invite you to join the conversation with any questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you!
For the King and His kids,
Erika, Simone, Mariana & Min
Quotes & Notes
“Once Intellect admits us into the realms of History, we live in a great and stirring world, full of entertainment and sometimes of regret ; and at last we begin to understand that we, too, are making History, and that we are all part of the whole; that the people who went before us were all very like ourselves, or else we should not be able to understand them. If some of them were worse than we, and in some things their times were worse than ours, yet we make acquaintance with many who were noble and great, and our hearts beat with a desire to be like them.” ~Charlotte Mason (v. 4, p. 37)
“I can’t read the Bible in one moment and then move into our history lessons and rank order humans, their value. I’ve taught [my children] that God looks at the hearts of people, that He created us, and He knew everything about us while we were still in the womb. There are no accidents and no mistakes, and He loves us.” ~Amber Johnston
“When you are overtly eliminating certain voices and the stories of entire groups of people – people that are part of your country – there are gaps and holes that should not be there. When you do that, whether you say it or not, you’re rank-ordering human beings for your child.” ~Amber Johnston
“I remember having the fascination of wanting to be Jewish as a young girl and even in high school… Even though I knew I was a child of God, I wanted to be part of the Chosen. I knew that within the New Testament, I would see so much about Gentiles. But I remember the first time I came across a verse in the Old Testament and it included Gentiles. I remember highlighting it and saying, ‘That’s me! That’s me! I’m being talked about in the Old Testament!’ And then as I began to learn [more], seeing myself in Ruth [and Rehab] and all these non-Jews, in all these Gentiles, within the lineage of Jesus Christ Himself, within the storyline of salvation. Even within the Bible, the need to belong, the need to see myself there and now saying: I AM part of the Chosen, and I’ve been part of it from the beginning because that’s who He is, because He is for everyone” ~Erika Alicea
“Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.” ~Zechariah 2:11
Erika
How My Daughter Chose Charlotte Mason by Erika
Why Living Books Are Not Enough For Black Children by Amber
Amber
Ongoing List of Multicultural History Books by Erika
The Parallel Narrative by Emily
Where to find Amber
Where to Find Us
Min
Hwang
Mariana Mastracchio
READ MORE
Simone
Moradi
