Amber Coleman-Mortley on How to Raise Civically-Minded, Anti-Racist Children
For this episode, I sat down with social justice advocate Amber Coleman-Mortley, host of the LetsK12Better podcast and blogger at MomOfAllCapes, for a conversation about raising kids to be civically-minded. I love Amber’s optimistic, passionate, and empathetic perspective on the importance of equity and diversity in our civic and personal spaces, and I wanted to share her insight with listeners as I truly believe that combating racism and injustice is not just the pivotal work for our time, but that our differently wired kids can and should play a vital role in this work.
In our conversation, we talk about what it means to be civically-minded, how parents can set their kids up to be allies and utilize their passions for social justice, and why we should then move out of the way while the next generation builds a more just and equitable world.
About Amber: Amber Coleman-Mortley’s work centers around elevating diverse voices and perspectives in the civic education space, working with students and educators for more equitable outcomes. She holds a B.A. in African American Studies from Oberlin College and an M.A. from American University in Media Entrepreneurship. A decorated three-sport varsity athlete, Amber continued her athletic passion as a P.E./Health teacher and varsity head coach at Sidwell Friends School for nine years. Amber covers civics, K12 education, edtech, and family life at MomOfAllCapes and on her podcast with her daughters, LetsK12Better. She has been featured in the LA Times, NY Times, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and a variety of other broadcast, podcast, and online media outlets.
THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:
- How Amber approaches her work of supporting families raising socially conscious, civically engaged kids
- What parents should consider while working to build more equitable outcomes and anti-racist communities
- What is meant by the term intersectionality and why it is important to understand it
- The most important ways parents can be involved in their school communities
- How empowering our differently wired kids’ passions can be an avenue for building the world we want to live in
- What can parents do to raise more culturally competent children, (specifically parents of white children)
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Amber’s podcast Let’s K12 Better
