New York City Area Birthmothers: Opportunities to Speak Out!

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Claud, Bonnie and Suz..birthmothers in NYC

January 17, 2010

Must be something in the air.

Heading into NYC Tomorrow For a Birthmother Documentary

Looking really forward to the day in the city. Bonnie and I, my live-in-the-same-town-now-were-pregnant-andrelinquished-at-the-same-time friend, are both going down tomorrow for filming. And added bonus: We are meeting up with Suz and Kish!

 

More Moms Who Relinquished Needed

Gregg Grossman is the documentary film maker and he is looking for more moms. I do know that many should be and will be wary of speaking freely about our experinces. I can attest that while it is often emotionally hard to return to that place of trauma, he is trustworthy for this project.

 

Basically, we have a circa 1962 Baby Scoop Era adoptee who is beginning his own journey in understanding adoption. Before this project he had never spoken knowingly to  a birthmother and no, he has not searched. What facinates me most about this documentary is the journey HE will be taking as he learns what we have to say about adoption, truth and relinquishment. For me, THAT is what will make it a powerful piece, the change I am sure he will make in his understanding of the expeierence. And I would not hesitiate to guess that when done, somewhere in him will be a budding need to hear his story for his own mother.
If you think you might be into talking with him, please get in touch. You can have your idenity hidden and it was a pretty gentle process. Plus his studio is really swanky and he did pony up the cash for us to travel in too.. so bonus free trip to NYC! So even with a cold winter rain, it was a great day.

So as I am getting ready for this day out, I get another Email for another local NYC birthmother type project that I will go down to NYC for and also, that is looking for more moms to participate in. I shall repost it here, so feel free to share with anyone who might be interested and available. For me, they had me at the name:


My name is Miranda Mammen and I am a student in New York City. I am the founder of Women’s Glib (http://womensglib.wordpress.com), a young feminist blog. I’m writing to request your help with a (non-blog-related) project; based on your wonderful blog, I think you may be a great help.


For my project, tentatively titled:

Beyond Juno: The Birth Mother Project

I am seeking birth mothers, first mothers, women who have placed a child for adoption from the New York City region to be interviewed and photographed for a feminist art/activism project.


Participation would require a physical meeting with me (roughly an hour and a half long), where I will conduct an informal interview regarding the participant’s life and experiences with adoption and capture some portrait photographs. The aim of the project is to give voice to birth mothers and to encourage discussion around their experiences and identities.


Please note that it is certainly possible for a participant to remain anonymous; a woman’s name can be changed and her face obscured if she prefers.


I would be deeply grateful if you could post a notice about this project on your blog, and direct any interested readers to contact me at this email address, BirthMomProject@gmail.com.


Thanks very much for your help, and don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions about the project.

So there you go!~ Want a Voice? People want to hear us!

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About the Author

Claudia Corrigan DArcy
Claudia Corrigan DArcy
Claudia Corrigan D’Arcy has been online and involved in the adoption community since early in 2001. Blogging since 2005, her website Musings of the Lame has become a much needed road map for many mothers who relinquished, adoptees who long to be heard, and adoptive parents who seek understanding. She is also an activist and avid supporter of Adoptee Rights and fights for nationwide birth certificate access for all adoptees with the Adoptee Rights Coalition. Besides here on Musings of the Lame, her writings on adoption issue have been published in The New York Times, BlogHer, Divine Caroline, Adoption Today Magazine, Adoption Constellation Magazine, Adopt-a-tude.com, Lost Mothers, Grown in my Heart, Adoption Voice Magazine, and many others. She has been interviewed by Dan Rather, Montel Williams and appeared on Huffington Post regarding adoption as well as presented at various adoption conferences, other radio and print interviews over the years. She resides in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband, Rye, children, and various pets.

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