Metro Journeys began as an academic concept several years ago by one of the founders of B.L.A.C.K., who wanted her high school aged children to have an independent day of research, discovery, and adventure outside the home. Although she was a native Washingtonian, she realized her suburban children were
unexposed to the Washington D.C. Capital area, were ill-prepared to navigate the city alone, and had little purposeful experience in reading maps. For the homeschooled child, Washington D.C., and other historical cities like it, can be schools without walls because they afford homeschooling children, who are not confined to traditional classrooms during the day, with unique educational experiences to learn about history, art, and culture in a fun and creative manner. For this reason, Metro Journeys are included as a component of the B.L.A.C.K. history classes to enhance the students' knowledge of African and African-American history and provide opportunities for a fun day of field research. As the 2013-2014 Ancient Africa B.L.A.C.K. class navigated its way around the D.C. area via the Metro Rail system this year, they were amazed at the hidden truths they uncovered about black history. Ancient African Beads, African-American history in Georgetown, Ethiopian Culture, and the history of the U Street Corridor were among the many topics explored. We hope you enjoy your virtual Metro Journey as much as we, the B.L.A.C.K. tutors, enjoyed planning the excursions for the 2013-2014 B.L.A.C.K. class.
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