This is the first day of National Adoption Awareness Month, aka National Adoption Month. For years, information and comments came mainly from adoptive parents (and mostly white women). In recent years, adult adoptees have increasingly spoken out, and have been heard and listened to; many are Brown or Black (BIPOC). We are also hearing more from birth/first parents. We need to hear lots more from both adoptees and birth/first parents if we are going to bring about much-needed change in adoption policy. On another, equally important level, we need to hear the stories and wisdom from both as well.
During National Adoption Awareness Month, I am going to post an adoptee-related resource every day: an adoptee-led orgainzation, an adoptee-focused blog, an adoptee author, and so on. I will also include resources from first/birth parents. The primary focus, though, will be adoptees, the experts in adoption.To start, take a look at this wonderful site, AdopteeReading, all about books by adoptees or recommended by adoptees. Also, follow them on Facebook here.
A great start to the month.
I’m enjoying these posts!
Do you know yet when you’ll be shutting this site down for good?
Thank you! I am so glad you are enjoying the posts. I won’t ever shut my blog down completely. I’ve jumped back on here for NAAM, and also because I’ve been working on some new projects that I want to share (publicize). The big one is our anthology of essays by Ethiopian adoptees, which is finally nearing publication. I am trying to balance my role as an adoptive parent (aka those who have held the mic for way too long in adoption) with using my place to amplify adoptee voices and to reach other adoptive parents to bring about change. Thanks for asking about this.
Good to know! Thanks for clarifying that.