"I'm never what people expect."
Amanda Rostic wears many hats, whether it's being a mother of four, a public health advocate in life and professionally at Corewell Health, a filmmaker through EpiKid Productions, an entrepreneur, volunteer or friend, her warm energy and obvious passion for progress toward positive outcomes is contagious.
A Grand Rapids native and proud GVSU Laker, Rostic comes from a creative, supportive and athletic family, and grew up heavily influenced by her grandparents' willingness to help others. Because of this, she always knew a career in healthcare was the goal, though the exact focus didn't immediately reveal itself.
Upon being confronted with a campus poster sharing the statistic that the maternal death rate of Black birthing persons is two to six times higher in the U.S. compared to their white counterparts, Rostic—already a young mother at the time—realized she wanted to take action. Over the years, Rostic's studies led her to earn a bachelor's degree in biology and eventually to become a master of public health (a degree she earned with honors, while working full-time and pregnant).
"It was 2007 and I realized, 'God, I just had a baby—that could have been me,'" Rostic recalled, addressing the many layers at play when it comes to the specific barriers Black women and parents face with maternal and infant health outcomes. "Childbirth is dangerous for all women. Two essentially identical women go to the hospital to deliver their babies. One stays longer, one might get to go home sooner. One dies, one doesn't. One comes home with their baby, one doesn't. Why is that? For those who might not be listened to or taken seriously, everything's OK until it's not."
Determined to continue the conversation, Rostic directed and produced Delivering While Black, a short documentary set in Grand Rapids that dives into the harsh reality of Birth Justice and the systemic racism that leads to the loss of Black lives. Though she had no prior filmmaking experience, Rostic threw on her lucky Adidas baseball cap, got the wheels turning, and in 36 days (with some professional assistance) had a complete product.
Delivering While Black was then submitted and selected out of thousands of submissions by the American Public Health Association to be shown to approximately 12,000 public health professionals at their annual conference. It has also been screened locally at the Grand Rapids Feminist Film Festival and at other festivals around the world.
"It's been shown in countries I've never even been to," Rostic said, noting her future ambitions to expand the documentary to a full-length feature. "It's funny because people meet me and I'm very happy-go-lucky. I'm like a 12-year-old in an adult body, but when it comes to serious stuff like this, I don't play. People with different shades are treated different. It's a real thing. I'm not going to stop until I do everything I can, because I'm a mom, I've done this four times. I could've died any of those times. When I look at those women, I see myself. And I have the conviction to dedicate my life to this."
An active volunteer and board member with Girls Growing 2 Women—an organization started by her cousin, Latasha Robertson-Crump—Rostic feels strongly about mentoring young women and the importance of showing them the possibilities that exist in our community; from college and trade school visits, to painting nails at a local nursing home, to retreats that reinforce their interests and more.
"We want these young women to be creative, confident, bold and to be poured into, because as a young girl, especially one of color in this world, people aren't always necessarily going to be empathetic towards you," Rostic said. "Working with those girls reminds me that there's always room to grow. There's always room to learn something. And it helps to be able to see it done in real time by someone who looks like you."
Rostic's children—one-year-old Brooklyn, six-year-old Harvey, eight-year-old Helen, and 17-year-old Cameron—are not only Rostic's source of joy and proudest personal accomplishment, but are also the people she finds herself learning so much from.
"Have you ever had breakfast with a six-year-old in his underwear standing on the table with a lampshade on his head telling you about his ideas? How could you not feel motivated to innovate?" Rostic shared. "I learn so much running around with these tiny humans."
As she looks to the future, Rostic chooses to always lead with hope. She often goes back and edits and adds to a sticky note pyramid she created years ago on the back of a door outlining ambitions for the days and years to come.
"I don't care if the glass is half full or half empty—I've got a glass and I've got a mission; I'm going to figure it out," she said.
She encourages other women to identify their goals and approach arriving there by naming their barriers and focusing on integrating vs. balancing factors in their lives.
"If you have something you're passionate about and you want to do it, you should do it. But the first thing you need to do is align it with your life," Rostic said. "Too many times we're chasing passions. 'I want to stop world hunger.' Baby girl, do you have groceries in your own cabinet? Start there and take care of yourself. You can do it all—but you can't do it all at once."
Whether she's roller-skating (both indoors and out), co-founding a program focusing on mindfulness and mental health for BIPOC individuals at Corewell Health, developing her on-the-go tea brand—Kettle & Hops, eyeing her next indie film project, living by her grandfather's motto "it's just nice to be nice," or enjoying some delicious vegetarian (most of the time) food, Rostic thrives on staying busy.
"I've had more jobs than Barbie!"
And she's far from done.
RESOURCES:
- Delivering While Black: deliveringwhileblack.vhx.tv
- Girls Growing 2 Women: girlsgrowing2women.com
- Day One Doula Collective: @dayonedoulacollective
- National Association to Advance Black Birth: thenaabb.org
- SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective: sistersong.net
Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for West Michigan Woman.
This article originally appeared in the Feb/Mar '25 issue of West Michigan Woman.
Photo courtesy of Kelly Braman Photography.
