Sawubona is Prince William County Virginia's only mobile, Afrocentric educational learning experience serving children and teens. We celebrate our rich African and African American heritage and teach our scholars to have pride in African and African American heritage and culture through a variety of immersive experiences. Whether your scholar is eager to learn about freedom fighters who resisted the yoke of slavery, artists that put their genius on full display during the Harlem Renaissance or racial justice activists who used their voices to advocate equity, The Sawubona School of Excellence is the right choice.
Sawubona is a Zulu greeting that translates, "I see you." This is not merely a visual seeing with our eyes but a soulful seeing with our hearts. We love and value the children in our community and are eager to serve your family.
In the tradition of George Washington Carver's Jessup Agricultural Wagon and John Meachum Berry's Floating Freedom School, we bring authentic learning to you. Let us know when, where and how many scholars and we will collaborate with you to curate a high-quality experience that meets your needs.
We know that authentic education is relational, not transactional. We practice building strong relationships to help our students become the highest expressions of themselves and are committed to helping our students enjoy learning. We prioritize centering the experiences of Black people to help young people develop a more accurate and complete understanding of The United States.
We celebrate our scholars for who they are today and curate experiences that help them make positive choices about who they are becoming.
Our Mission
The Sawubona approach to education is simple. Everyday we choose to love, value, see and hear our scholars. We actively grow children into who they were created to be using the vehicle of experiential education which includes building strong connections.
Meet Our Founder
Jennifer A. Roberts is a child of God, wife, mother and community educator. For more than 20 years, she has curated high-quality, educational experiences for children that value them and center their needs. Roberts greatest joy as a mother to her two amazing children has been helping them learn about themselves and the world around them. Her greatest burden has been advocating within the public education system to secure an equitable education for her children and other children in her local community. It is this passion that prompted her to create a much-needed supplement to traditional education that prioritizes the needs of Black children, creates opportunities for critical thinking, celebrates their heritage and actively values their cultural capital. Through Sawubona, Roberts aims to set a new standard in learning by educating with love, building healthy relationships and empowering parents and guardians to facilitate their own learning experiences.
As the daughter and daughter-in-love of two exemplary career educators, Roberts fully understands the impact of a high-quality educational experience and the profound effect that educational environments and educators have on students. She knows the value of connecting with students and valuing their humanity, including their racial identity.
In 2021, the Prince George's County, Maryland native, founded Conversations in the Community, a non-profit organization dedicated to educational advocacy. For more than a decade, she has volunteered in Prince William County Schools in many capacities. Most recently, she served as the club sponsor for H.O.U.S.E. (Helping Our Unique School Excel) at Bull Run Middle School, an after-school club that she and her son co-founded. She has also served as a member of Battlefield High School's Principal's Advisory Council and the Superintendent's Advisory Council on Instruction. Roberts currently serves on the board of A Few Good MENtors, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides mentoring support to boys and young men ages 8-21 as well as on the board of the Jennie Dean Educational Foundation.
An avid reader and champion for literacy that centers Black characters and their lived experiences, she is the author of the children's book, "Meet Kaliyah." She also is the creator of the blogsite, www.journeywithjenntoday.net, where she shares her life's journey as well as her thoughts on education in America. A proud graduate of Bowie State University, Roberts, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Media with a concentration in Public Relations. She makes her home with her family in Northern Virginia.