Adoptee & Foster Voices

Adoptee and foster alumni are by far our most important voices.* When seeking to understand the complexities of adoptive or foster care journeys, they are indisputably the experts. Their wisdom and life experience have much to teach us all. Please reference our All About Me, Birth Parent Grief & Loss, Celebrations, Holidays & Other Special Occasions, Hair Care, Life Story Work, Navigating Birth Family Relationships & Openness, Siblings, Talking About Race, Transracial Parenting/Cultural Diversity and Tribal-specific pages for more resources.

*This page was created with input from adoptees & fosterees. Reminder each has their own narrative that may, or may not, reflect those of others.

FIRST Annual FREE adult BIPOC Adoptees VOICES Conference coming to Portland - July 26-28, 2024!

FREE National Virtual Adult Adoptee Support Group - 1st Thursday monthly, no registration needed!

Earn $50 - Study on Adopted Young Adult's Transition to Adulthood:

Adopted young adults ages 18-24 are invited to participate in a survey to share their perspectives & experiences related to adoption. For example: What advice would you give to adopted kids and families? What made the transition to adolescence & early adulthood easier or harder? For individuals who are in college: What was important to you in thinking about/choosing a college? The survey also asks some questions about birth family, mental health, and family relationships and communication.

Survey takes approx. 45 minutes - 1 hour to complete. Participants receive an ID# and individual survey link to participate. The individual link is UNIQUE and cannot be shared. You will receive $50 if you complete the survey. You must complete at least 75% of the questions to be paid. You can step away from it/your browser and complete it at various intervals; it doesn’t need to be completed in one sitting.

To participate, please contact Project Director, Abbie Goldberg, Professor of Psychology, Clark University (www.abbiegoldberg.com), agoldberg@clarku.edu.

“...learn to listen to the voices of foster children, both present and past...We know what hurts us and what helps us.” ~Rosalind Folman, foster alum

ORPARC Directory of Foster Adoption Competent Providers, including BIPOC-specific!

Websites

Foster specific (reminder: some foster, adoptive, guardianship identities overlap)

Recommended Books & Articles

Foster & Adoptee Voice-related materials in ORPARC's library, including Closure: A Documentary About Adoption

Native Voices

Videos & Podcasts

Foster specific (reminder: some foster, adoptive, guardianship identities overlap)

Powerful Voices

Through the Lens of Ourselves by Suni Miller Zmich, adoptee


"You Should Be Grateful" by Angela Tucker, adoptee


In Their Voices: Black Americans on Transracial Adoption by Rhonda M. Roorda, adoptee

Unnatural Selection: A Memoir of Adoption & Wilderness by Andrea Ross, adoptee


All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Nicole Chung, adoptee


Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption by Susan Devan Harness (Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes), adoptee


Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter, adoptee

Dear Wonderful You edited by Diane René Christian, adoptive parent & Mei-mei Awkai Ellerman, adoptee

Native American Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories by Rita J. Simon & Sarah Hernandez (Sicangu Lakota)


Beneath the Mask by C.A.S.E.


Closure with Angela Tucker (adoptee)


Swimming Up the Sun by Nicole J. Burton, adoptee


Let Us Be Greater by Michelle Madrid, adoptee & adoptive parent


Whatever Next? by 3 adoptees


Surrender Your Story by Tara Sun, adoptee