Midlothian mom Ashley Brickett fulfills many roles, including wife, mother, freelance contract analyst, community volunteer, and faithful Catholic.
In the past year, she’s added two more: local grassroots activist and conservative leader.
“I was just a mom prior to 2021,” Ashley told Texas Scorecard. “I was always a Christian conservative but never involved in local politics.”
God and her family changed that, leading her to challenge local school board policies and organize a parent movement in her community.
“I’m involved because I have a duty to protect my children and the children of my community,” she said. “God has given me the drive, the time, and the resources to do so.”
A Family Legacy
Ashley is strongly influenced by her family’s Cuban heritage. Her grandmother fled Castro’s Cuba with her three small children, including Ashley’s dad. Her grandfather was forced to stay behind, though he escaped later.
“My grandmother’s bravery will never be lost on me,” Ashley said, adding the journey took “courage and faith only God could provide.”
Being that my family escaped communism for freedom just one generation before me, I know first-hand what we are facing and what I am saying when I use the word “Marxist.” I will do everything I possibly can to ensure my children have the chance to live in a free country that respects their God-given free will.
Ashley developed her own bravery growing up in a rough part of Phoenix, Arizona, where she learned to “stand tall and never cave to bullies.”
She moved to Texas in 2011, where she finished her degree in biology, met and married her husband, had three children, and got baptized in the Catholic church.
In 2018, Ashley left her full-time career with a specialty pharmacy entrepreneur to work freelance so she could “be a mom first” to her kids.
A Nudge From God
Ashley says she never intended to be an activist but “jumped in head first” when her oldest child was getting ready to start kindergarten:
We had moved to Midlothian for the “great” schools, so I was surprised when I discovered they wanted me to mask my son, drop him off, and say “bye.” No way was that happening. I didn’t know what to do, but one morning I woke up and said, “I need to get down to the school board to see what is going on.” It was a nudge from God.
“As a Catholic Christian, my job is to protect my children and to do everything I possibly can to get them to eternity in heaven,” she said. “That starts and stops with me as their mother. I have to know exactly who and what they are exposed to.”
Ashley began attending school board meetings, getting to know board members, and learning more about the district. A school board election in May had revealed far-left activists at work in Midlothian ISD promoting policies based on critical race theory.
She also began meeting others in her community who shared her concerns and were involved in local politics.
“Meanwhile, we still had a mask mandate that was being fought,” Ashley said. “This got the community engaged, and several of us met at the school board or the polls.”
Inspired by conservative activists in another North Texas school district, Ashley organized local parents under the banner Respect Midlothian 1888.
“We thought putting a name to our parents’ group, having signs and shirts, we’d get the school board’s attention,” she said. “We got the attention of Black Lives Matter and the Marxists instead.”
“We didn’t let that bother us,” she said. “We focused on the facts and policies.”
For her successful grassroots activism, Ashley was recognized by her peers with a 2021 Conservative Leader Award.
Ashley says she and other Midlothian moms will keep working to ensure that traditional academics are the only taxpayer-funded education taught in their schools.
“We’ve been treated terribly for asking questions, wanting transparency, asking for traditional academic education,” she said. “That inspires us to double down and keep exposing.”
She encourages others to do the same in their communities.
“Don’t hesitate, just do it. Don’t wait for someone to give you instructions or show you how,” she said. “Just do it, and do it your way. Trust in God and speak His truth.”
