Chris Stearns is Navajo and was adopted in the mid-1960s before the Indian Child Welfare Act existed. His mom was part of the federal Indian Relocation program which moved Native Americans away from reservations to large cities as part of a national assimilation policy. Chris began his life in the Los Angeles County foster care system and was adopted when he was 2 years old by a loving white family in New Jersey where he was raised.  Chris chose a career as an attorney fighting for Native American rights and spent many years in Washington, D.C. representing Indian tribes as well as working in the House of Representatives and the Clinton Administration. Chris eventually moved to Washington state where he now serves as a Representative in the state legislature. He also was able to access his sealed original birth records but has never been able to find his birth parents.  He now lives in Auburn, where he and his wife Pamela have two adult daughters and a grandson.

The New York Times: The Brutal Past and Uncertain Future of Native Adoptions by Gabrielle Glaser: May 16th, 2023

To go directly to Chris's interview, skip ahead to 13:35

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss American Baby by Gabrielle Glaser.

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

Joe Soll & other adoptee resources

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.
Our Patrons:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino,  Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzman, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Darra Robinson, Diane Moore, Jennifer Arave and Thomas Stevenson.

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.