Some books change the way we see. Rhonda Roorda's In Their Own Voices did that for countless adoptive families, including our own here at ETC. In this episode, Rhonda returns to walk us through her debut memoir, Torn from the Root, and the four questions at its center: who was going to get hurt, what was it going to cost, who would be held accountable, and what hope could there be for repair. It is a tender, unflinching conversation about transracial adoption, the voice of the child within, and what it really takes to belong.

Listener-care note: this episode includes honest discussion of trauma, abuse, and mental health within the context of transracial adoption.

In this episode

Why Rhonda turned the lens on her own story after decades of documenting others, and what it meant to listen to the little girl within her

The four questions from her memoir that frame the whole conversation

The history most adoptive families never hear, from the 1970 National Association of Black Social Workers statement to the research that shaped current policy

How everyday language and labels shape a child's sense of identity and worth

The difference between celebrating a child's culture and simply living near it

A family "blueprint" approach to belonging, where every member is honored and advocated for

What repair actually requires, starting with an honest audit of ourselves

How nurture, in ETC terms, shows up in our words, our attention, and our follow-through

Resources

Torn from the Root: A Memoir of a Black Transracial Adoptee by Rhonda M. Roorda (Temple University Press). Pre-order available now, releasing July 2026.

In Their Own Voices, In Their Parents' Voices, and In Their Siblings' Voices, the landmark trilogy Rhonda co-authored with Dr. Rita J. Simon

In Their Voices: Black Americans on Transracial Adoption, Rhonda's award-winning solo work

Rhonda M. Roorda's website: https://rhondamroorda.com

Context referenced in the episode: the 1970 National Association of Black Social Workers position on transracial adoption, and the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994 with the Interethnic Adoption Provisions of 1996