Bishop Yvette Flunder

Parenting at the Edge: Building Radical Inclusion 

Bishop. Dr. Yvette Flunder, a native of San Francisco and a third-generation preacher, has dedicated herself to promoting justice and taking prophetic action for over three decades. 

Bishop Yvette Flunder invites us into a vision of parenting rooted in radical inclusion, spiritual grounding, and love that centers children’s full humanity.

Together, we explore:

• What it means to nurture children’s spiritual lives without harm or coercion
  
• How faith communities can become places of healing, belonging, and protection for families pushed to the margins
  
• The role of community, elders, and chosen family in raising children with dignity and care
• Why modeling self-love and an authentic relationship with the divine matters more than passing down rigid beliefs

Website 

Dr. Aizaiah G Yong, PhD

Sacred Parenthood: Contemplative Practices for Family, Healing, and Justice

Rev. Dr. Aizaiah Yong invites parents to reclaim contemplative parenting as a practice of presence, humility, and community—especially for families navigating systemic oppression.

Together, we explore:

• How contemplative practices can be woven into everyday family life

• The ways parenting connects to larger social realities and calls for justice

• How communities of care support marginalized families in practical, spiritual ways

• The power of contemplative awareness to nurture nonviolent relationships and social transformation

Website 

Traci Smith

Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments in Everyday Parenting with Rev.Traci Smith Insert Speaker Session Topic

Rev. Traci Smith invites parents to reimagine everyday family life as sacred—where spirituality, justice, and love are practiced in small, meaningful moments.

Together, we explore:

• How to find sacredness and spiritual grounding in the ordinary rhythms of family life
  
• Why practices matter more than perfection when nurturing children’s faith and values
  
• Simple ways to teach kindness, gratitude, and care that ripple outward into the world
  
• How tending to our own spiritual lives supports children during times of stress and change

Website 

Dr. Sarah Bixler and Dr. Almeda Wright

Connected Families, Transformed Communities: The Power of Attachment with Dr. Sarah Bixler and Dr. Almeda WrightInsert Speaker Session Topic

Dr. Sarah Bixler and Dr. Almeda Wright explore how secure attachment and compassionate community support can transform parenting into a healing, justice-centered practice.

Together, we explore:

• What secure attachment looks like in everyday caregiving and why it matters for children’s emotional and spiritual development
  

• How children learn faith and values most powerfully when they feel safe, seen, and loved
  

• The role of community in supporting parents and caregivers through reflection, repair, and mutual care
  

• Practical ways to intentionally break unhealthy patterns from past generations and build new ways of relating

Priya Saara

Parenting at the Intersections: Raising & Celebrating Neurodivergent  Children of Color

Priya explores how parenting is a form of resistance—especially for neurodivergent parents of color—and how community, compassion, and play can help families survive and thrive in an oppressive world.

Together, we explore:

• The challenges and strengths of neurodivergent parenting within systems that don’t always see or support us
  
• The importance of community spaces for parents to share stories and build connection
  
• Listening practices like Listening Partnerships as tools for healing, resilience, and self-compassion
• How play becomes resistance, helping children reclaim joy, agency, and identity

Website | Instagram 

Jaya Ramesh

Parenting at the Intersections: Reflection, Resistance, and Reclaiming Wisdom

Jaya Ramesh invites parents to reframe parenting as a healing practice—especially for BIPOC neurodivergent families navigating systems built to exclude and erase them.

Together, we explore:

• The experience of internalized ableism and how it shows up in parenting
  

• Parenting as a long process of healing, growth, and reclaiming inner wisdom
  

• The importance of community support for neurodivergent parents of color
  

• How to honor children’s unique identities without trying to “fix” them

LinkedIn 

Dr. Stephanie B Crowder

Radical Mothering, Radical Justice: Insights from When Momma Speaks with Dr. Stephanie B CrowderRadical Mothering, Radical Justice: Insights from When Momma Speaks 

Rev. Neddy Yong sits down with Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder to explore Black maternal leadership, womanist maternal thought, and how parents can raise children with justice, compassion, and resilience.

What you’ll hear in this conversation:

• Insights from Dr. Crowder’s book When Momma Speaks, including biblical mothers like Rizpah, Hagar, and Mary.
  
• How “womanist maternal thought” guides parenting that centers race, class, and gender through the lens of Black motherhood.
  
• Examples of communal and sacrificial mothering, highlighting the role of community and other mothers in raising children.
  
• Reflections on self-care, setting boundaries, and modeling justice and compassion for children.
  
• Parenting in today’s hyper-individualistic society and ways technology can support connection and care.

Website