Here’s a link to a thoughtful post on the This Week In Race blog that links to my Checklist for Allies Against Racism. I get a few requests every month or so from someone else who wants permission to reprint it.

Click here to go to the new page called “Fitting In and Finding Allies.”

Enjoy listening to part of my keynote address to the Midwest Adoption Conference held in Deerfield, Illinois in November 2008. A newer version of this podcast is available by clicking here.

The podcast takes about 18 minutes. In it, I tell a story about a Jewish family member who was informally “adopted,” and how he was able to survive the Holocaust.

I offer the story as an example of how we might think of adoption as child sharing, which would allow us to embrace the first families of adopted children and truly honor their origins.

This series of snapshots actually really touches me… One pic is worth a thousand words. So four pics must be…

Here’s a story from a few years back about the ongoing controversy over transracial adoption. It’s interesting to see that even though some people are still arguing about this topic, other parents are making major changes to support their multiracial families.

Click on the link to download a pdf version fo the story: adopt-then-adapt-los-angeles-times1

Here is a link to a piece by Carolyn Berger on transracial adoption. It’s great to see how she is using the term “transracialization” to talk about how adoptive families can effectively support their adopted children of color.

You can also download the article in pdf format by clicking here.

Helpful Hint: Don’t miss any updates to my blog. Try using the RSS feed at the bottom of the page to subscribe to updates… That way, you will always be notified when I add new content to the blog.

Go see this movie if you get a chance. Better yet, pre-order it now so you can own a copy when it becomes available. Click on the banner above to find out more.

I had the privilege of watching this film at the Midwest Adoption Conference recently, with the film maker Barb Lee and the co-producer, Nancy Kim Parsons. I was literally on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded.

The film is so well executed and so understated (the opposite of sensationally edited) that its power sneaks up on you. Gradually you find yourself drawn into the compelling narratives of the two adoptive families portrayed.

One family is at the end of its journey through transnational adoption (an adult Asian adoptee attempts to make peace with her aging white American parents before they die), and the other is just starting out (we watch two white American parents preparing to receive their new daughter from China and actually witness the powerful moment when parents and child meet for the first time).

The film captures beautifully what I refer to as the paradox of adoption, that is, adoption as both a blessing and a curse. I realize that it is not easy for many parents to accept this realization. Yet allowing adoption narratives (such as this film) into our hearts and consciousness gives us a chance to sit with difficult knowledge and to experience the world as many adoptees experience it.

If adoptive parents can’t stand facing the feelings stirred by this film, I shudder to think how their adopted children will fare as they face their own complex reactions to being adopted. In a sense, watching this film and confronting the array of emotions released gives viewers a chance to practice standing with adoptees as supportive, loving allies. Highly recommended!

Click here to go to the film’s website.

Here’s an article reprinted in The STARS Connection (see page 3), published in 2006: STARS articleIn other news, my good friend Rhonda Roorda has a new book out, co-authored with Rita Simon. The book’s title is In Their Parents’ Voices: Reflections on Raising Transracial Adoptees. You can click here to see the cover.

You can read a review of our book Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption by clicking here to download Family Voices Newsletter (Summer 2007). There’s a quote from my chapter on page 5 of this review. Note: The rest of this newsletter contains other excellent information and resources on transracial adoption.