Black Adoptees Identities

Christelle Pellecuer is in conversation with Annalisa Toccara-Jones, a cultural producer, freelance journalist and PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield in the UK. They discussed what it means to be black and what's Annalisa's identity as an adopted person of a mixed heritage and adopted by a black couple. They talked about the business of adoption and Annalisa's academic research on adoption.

Christelle Pellecuer is in conversation with Graci Harkema, a transracial adoptee based in Michigan. They discussed Graci's life in Congo before adoption, her reunion with her birth mother, how she navigated her identity and her book: Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom - and back again.

www.graciharkema.com

Christelle Pellecuer is in conversation with Isaiah James, a transracial adoptee based in America. They discussed how Isaiah navigated his adoption and his identity, relationship with his adoptive family, reunion with his birth family and beyond.

Follow Isaiah on: @soyouhavebeenadopted and @rewritingadoption

Christelle Pellecuer is in conversation with Steffany Venneri, a voice and life coach and transracial adoptee from Canada. They discussed how adoption impacted her identity, the struggles she and her brother faced, birth family expectations and price tag.

Content warning: discussion about mental health, drug addiction, drug overdose from 15:03 to 15:40

https://stephvenneri.com

@blackadopteesidentities

Christelle Pellecuer is in conversation with Kevin Barnett, a transformational speaker. They discussed Kevin's childhood in foster care and the difficulties he endured before his adoption, how adoption impacted his identity and his reunion with his birth family.

Content warning: discussion about malnutrition from 7min14 to 8min11; discussion about abuse from 9min00 to 9min17; 13min21 to13min45; 29min06 to 29min26 and 34min45 to 35min00

https://www.livingmyshadows.org

Christelle Pellecuer is in conversation with Jules, a transracial adoptee, originally from Mali. The conversation explores how adoption impact on mental health and relationships and Jules shares how she navigated birthdays, medical history, racism and changing name.

Content Warning: General discussion of suicide from 15min00sec to 15min32sec. 

Christelle Pellecuer is in conversation with Dr. Abigail Hasberry, coach and therapist. Dr Hasberry is an American domestic transracial adoptee and in this episode she shares her adoption journey and how it impacted her identity. She also recounts her journey as a birth mother and her reunion with her birth family. 

https://dearabbyllc.org/about-abby