This is the February 2021 episode of the podcast. Today we have Victoria DiMartile with Wreckage and Wonder on to discuss the history of transracial adoption and adoption in the black community. We discuss Victoria's story of growing up as a transracial adoptee in a small white Kentucky town. Victoria talks about adoption in the black community, and the need for better appreciation, celebration, and understanding of the black family. We also discuss the need for more education in transracial adoption, and how what has been acceptable "colorblindness" has really been damaging to family relationships.

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This is the January 2021 Episode of Adoption Advocacy Podcast; Kirsta Bowman comes on the podcast, and we discuss how adoption agencies operate in the United States, and the unethical practices used by many. Kirsta shares with us the story of her own adoption, and how in the search for her biological family she found that her placement happened in less than ideal/ethical circumstances. Having an adoptive mother who started her own agency, Kirsta had first hand seat to what goes on behind the scenes in adoption, and discusses much of what she experienced. Also in this episode, Kirsta and I pull together information we have gathered in our collective research to describe how the industry works at each level of the adoption process.

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This is the December 2020 episode. Today we chat with Stephanie Oyler, Melissa Guida- Richards, and Ferera Swan - three transracial and transethnic adoptees. We discuss their collective experiences with the holidays, and they explain why it is so important to hold space for adoptees who come from different backgrounds and cultural traditions than their parents. We also discuss how important it is for adoptive families to be sensitive to the emotions and feelings that might arise during this time of year. Lastly, we talk about how they are all feeling as transracial and transethnic adoptees during this political climate, and how it has affected their relationships with adoptive and extended family members.

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Connect with Ferera:

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This is the November 2020 episode of the podcast. Today we have Tiffany Henness with adoptee influencer network as our special guest. Tiffany discusses how she emerged from the fog after giving birth to her first born, it was an experience that brought her closest to experience of her first mother. She tells us how she began learning about adoption trauma and found it helped to processed it all through writing and sharing her experience with others. Before becoming involved in the adoption advocacy community, Tiffany was a fitness influencer on social media and during this time learned how to boost content and create community among others doing the same work. Tiffany shares that the fitness influencer groups she was a part of really helped give advice and feedback, keep creativity, inspiration, and connection flowing which really helped members to create content. Tiffany saw a this as a huge need in the adoptee community of influencers. She created adoptee Influencer Network as a group where adoptees could come together, work together, problem solve, get support, and  share each others content. Please check out Tiffany and adoptee influencer network online.

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Brittany Nash is a Black domestic transracial adoptee and the founder of The Daily Adoptee blog and soon to be online publication that highlights the experience and expertise of transracial adoptees.

As an adoptee, turned foster child, who from Southern MN, she uses her experience of growing up in predominantly white spaces to connect the dots of the intent and impact of the adoption industry and foster care system as they align with history, politics, racism, discrimination, and mental health. 

She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communication from Bethany Lutheran College where her emphasis was Journalism and Business. While there she also worked for the college's Diversity Center where she started to kindle her passion for social advocacy. She combines her love for investigative journalism, descriptive writing, and racial justice to bring a unique adoptee narrative to adoption and foster care spaces.

Timeline of Events and Key Legislation: 

1921: Tusla Race Massacre

1935: Social Security Act

1939 -1945: World War ll 

1945: Baby Scoop Era begins

1947: Cold War begins

1948: Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces 

1954: Civil Rights Movement

1955 - 1975 Vietnam War

1954: Browning vs Board of Edu

1961: ADC Foster Act

1962: Aid to Families with Dependent Children

1962: Public Welfare Amendment 

1965: Death of Malcolm X

1964: Civil Rights Act

1968: Death of Martin Luther King Jr.

1968: Civil Rights Movement

1969: Death of Frank Hampton

1967: Loving vs the State of Virginia 

1970: Baby Scoop Era ends

1971: War on Drugs begins

1978: Indian Child Welfare Act

1980: The Adoption Assistance & Child Welfare Act

1991: Cold War ends

1993: Family Preservation & Family Support Services Program (MEPA) begins

1994: The Multi-Ethnic Placement Act

1996: Inter-Ethnic Placement Provisions (revised parts of MEPA)

1997: the Adoption & Safe Families Act

Reference Articles:

A Brief Legislative History of the Child Welfare System

Brief History of the Drug War

The case for national action- the negro famil

Donate to the TRA Writers & Educators Fund

Kate Carper comes on the podcast to discuss her experience with adoption. Kate tells us how she grew up with adopted siblings, and always felt like adoption was a part her future family making plan. After having two biological children, Kate and her husband explored how they could help a child in need through adoption. Through much research and soul searching, Kate discovered an agency that specialized in the adoption of children with down syndrome. Kate explains a lot about this agency and how they support expectant parents who have discovered their child has down syndrome, as well as facilitate adoptions. Kate and her husband adopted their son, and then later adopted a daughter. We further discusses how her family has sought out a more diverse community in which to raise their children, and how important that is, especially in transracial adoption. 

Matt comes on the podcast to discuss his experience as an adoptee, and how his life experiences shaped him. We also discuss his heartfelt reunion. 

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Geri Pfieffer comes on the podcast to discuss the reality of America's child welfare system. Geri began working and creating America's Taken when she lost her grandson to child protective services. I encourage everyone to take a listen to todays episode to further understand what is going on in this country's child welfare system, and the reform that needs to take place now. I was very happy to bring this topic to light through this episode and hope to do more episodes like this one in the future. 

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Laureen Pittman comes on the podcast to discuss her experience as an adoptee, and her book "The Lies that Bind." Growing up, adoption didn't mean that much to Laureen, it was just something that she knew to be a fact, but didn't think much further on it. As she got older, Laureen became more interested in her origins. As Laureen began the search for her birth parents, she discovered she had actually been born in prison. Everything she discovered she chronicled in her book "The Lies that Bind". Listen in to hear about Laureens journey!

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Jesse Bradley comes on the podcast to discuss how life's twist and turns lead him to a journey of faith and adoption. Jesse was once a professional soccer player, whose career was cut short when a medication he took to prevent malaria built up toxic levels in his system, and he became too sick to play. Jesse later discovered god and became a pastor. He now leads a city wide movement for churches to become more multicultural. Jesse preaches to his congregation the need for people to open their homes to foster youth, and adoption. Jesse discusses his own journey with adopting his youngest child, and what adoption has meant to him. 

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For more information on Adoption Advocacy Podcast, and to participate in this episodes discussion board, please visit:

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