Reverend Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, Part I: Anti-Racist Parenting

New York, I Love You But You've Changed

Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft is a white mother raising three white kids, a 5 year old daughter and 7 year old twin boys, in the East Village of NYC. She was born and raised in a small town in Kentucky, went to college in Birmingham, AL and to seminary in Richmond, VA. She has lived in NYC for 13 years. Amanda is a movement builder and leader who writes, speaks and studies at the intersection of race, faith, politics, feminism, and parenting. Amanda is the founder of Raising Imagination, an online movement platform that looks at the evolution of social issues through the lens of imagination. Her platform is largely dedicated to the necessary work white parents must undergo to raise their white kids as anti-racist and how to involve kids in advocacy. Her work has been cited in CNN, Refinery29, the Wall Street Journal, WNBC, and Crooked Media. Amanda is also the Executive Minister for Justice, Education & Movement Building at Middle Church, a historic, multicultural inclusive church in the East Village.

In today’s conversation, Amanda and Alexis discuss our perceptions of the REAL differences between the American South and NYC, early conversations we had (or didn’t have) about race in our childhood homes, and our definitions of activism. Amanda shares why she brings her own kids to protests, what anti-racist parenting looks and feels like in everyday life (including breaking down the importance of J.Lo and Shakira’s 2019 superbowl halftime performance and discussing the wonders of Dolly Parton with her children), why it is the responsibility of all white parents to talk to their kids about race and why parenting is inherently political.

Today’s episode is the first of two conversations featuring Amanda. Look out for the release of part two in the coming days!

Places on the Internet to Learn More:

• Raising Imagination on Instagram

• Amanda’s essay about watching the J.Lo and Shakira halftime show with her kids

• White Too Long: The History of White Supremacy in American Christianity, Robert P. Jones

• Seeing White podcast series

• The teachings of Dr. Katie Cannon, Monique Melton, June Jordan, Tabitha St Bernard-Jacobs

• Raising White Kids, Jennifer Harvey

• Middle Church