26. Owning Your Influence By Using Your Words with Amy Julia Becker
When Amy Julia Becker received her daughter Penny’s Down Syndrome diagnosis, she mourned the loss of a hypothetical child, the one she had always expected. However, Amy Julia and her husband quickly found joy, love, hope, and perspective in their now 13 year old daughter. So much so that Amy Julia wrote, “A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny.” She chose to share Penny’s story when she noticed the consistent lack of hopeful information that comes with a Down Syndrome diagnosis. Amy Julia even shared her journey with our co-host Micha when she received her son Ace’s prenatal diagnosis.
Penny’s vulnerability and fight to be included opened her mother’s heart and eyes to other people that society often marginalizes and excludes. With this in mind, Amy Julia put pen to paper to discuss the important topic of privilege in her newest book, “White Picket Fences: Turning toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege.” Clearly, this mother of three does not shy away from the tough conversations. Her other publications include articles about Down Syndrome in Washington Post, New York Times, ABC News, The Atlantic, and more listed below. Amy Julia is definitely owning her influence as an author to shift the Down Syndrome narrative and talk about privilege. When she isn’t writing, she’s speaking or enjoying life with her family. What a gift it is to sit down with her today for Episode 7 of Season 3! So friends, join us as we chat with Amy Julia Becker about authors, advocates, affluence, oh and Penny’s new pointe shoes for dance class!
AMY JULIA BECKER AND FAMILY
CONNECT WITH THE PODCAST
CONNECT WITH HEATHER AVIS
CONNECT WITH MERCEDES LARA
CONNECT WITH MICHA BOYETT
SHOW LINKS
Connect with Amy Julia Becker:
Purchase White Picket Fences: Turning toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege, by Amy Julia Becker on Amazon.
Purchase A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny, by Amy Julia Becker on Amazon.
Other Publications by Amy Julia Becker:
Washington Post: “How Disability Helped Me Understand My Privilege”
USA Today: “Parents, Take Your Kids Seriously”
Christianity Today: “Love Is Slow, But It Lasts”
The Christian Century: “Learning What Happiness Is (And Isn’t) From My Daughter With Down Syndrome”
New York Times: “Why Prenatal Testing Harms As Much As It Helps”
ABC News: World Down Syndrome Day Tribute
Read more articles from Amy Julia in The Atlantic and Huffington Post
SHOW SPONSOR: HOPE*WRITERS
Have you ever thought about writing a book but didn’t know where to start? Well, Hope*Writers believes that you’re already on your writing journey! Take their FREE 30 second quiz to find out where you are on your journey and where you can go. Visit hopewriters.com/quiz to take the quiz today!
CHECK OUT HEATHER’S NEW BOOK
Scoot Over and Make Some Room: Creating a Space Where Everyone Belongs by Heather Avis is available for pre-order on Amazon.
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