This week, we welcome JaeRan Kim to the show, and her research and writing has transformed the way we interact with the experiences of transracial, transnational adoptees for well over a decade. JaeRan shares a wealth of knowledge with us, some vital historical anecdotes like the painful US legacy of organized 'Orphan Trains', and her love for embracing process over product in this episode. She also reminds us all to pushback on monolithic thinking. There is more than one way; there is more than one narrative. Everything JaeRan does highlights the diversity of experiences in the often oversimplified and silenced communities most impacted by adoption – the adoptees, the displaced, the former foster youth. This episode will pull you in – in a personal way, in an intellectual way, in a social way – there are no limits to the depth of JaeRan’s community advocacy, research, storytelling, teaching, and impact in a society that might otherwise erase us, as transracial, transnational adoptees.

Guest Bio: JaeRan Kim, Ph.D., MSW, (she/hers) is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University of Washington at Tacoma. JaeRan’s research is focused on the wellbeing of adoptees, exploring disability, race, and transnational experiences for adoptees. JaeRan is passionate about engaging in community-based projects and has been blogging at Harlow’s Monkey, which focuses on the transracial/transnational adoptee experience, since 2006.

Follow and support JaeRan’s important work and writing at:

https://harlows-monkey.com

https://transnationaladoptionproject.com 

Connect with JaeRan on IG: @harlows_monkey

Connect with Human Regards on IG: @humanregardspod and Twitter: @humanregards

Hosted By: Shanta Loecker and Carolyn Sideco

Production, Music, and Design By: Shanta Loecker

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