Documentary film maker Jean A.S. Strauss will be in Cleveland for the viewing of her new film “A Simple Piece of Paper”. Adoption Network Cleveland is proud to be the Community Partner for the world premiere of this film. Jean follows 18 citizens as they receive their original birth certificates following a change in Illinois law. In 2015, Ohio Adoptees will be able to do the same.
“Building Bridges for Change”
When: April 9th to 13th, 2014
Where: Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco – Union Square 55 Cyril Magnin Street San Francisco CA 94102
Who: American Adoption Conference
Bonus: I’ll be there!
NPR again has chosen to allow a white adoptive parent speak for the trans-racial adopted adult. The Adult adoptees who belong at the table are rightfully angry about being left out of the conversation and having their voices silenced. #NPRGate
I would caution anyone who is considering trying to be cast, that your story will be used possibly to promote a very untruthful, unicorn rainbow fart version of Adoption. I won’t judge anyone for using them for their free private investigative bit, especially if you are at wits end of a hard search, just don’t trust them. Use them, don’t let them use you!
Grace grew up knowing not only she was adopted, but, was also informed by Kay, the woman who adopted her, that if she didn’t “behave herself”, her adoptive father, Charlie, would “send her back to where she came from”.
It seems that Santa’ Claus’ birthmother, like many birthmothers, she went for what she perceived as “better”, leaving the child originally on the Burgermeister Meisterburger’s front steps. No home study there and we hope he would not have passed the psychological components as he was holding on to just a little bit of anger.
I noticed most of the open adoption information is very general. Then I noticed the language that was being used – and it was manipulative. Lastly, I noticed how the information was being presented – and again, it was manipulative.
Adoption agencies want birthmothers and adoptive parents to see positive outcomes of open adoption. They do this is by highlighting open adoption success stories from “happy adoptees,” but are the stories honest?
Here is what this open adoption looks like to the child who was adopted: My biological family was willing to go to extremes to make sure I went to an adopted family. If all of this support was there, why didn’t my biological family simply support my biological mom so she could keep me?
With the start of the 2013 National Adoption Awareness Month, I can think of nothing more fitting that to say yes, let us become aware of what adoption means the children that have grown up in adoption; closed adoptions, opens adoptions, needed adoptions, forced adoptions, discriminated, denied, reunioned, rejected, rejoiced, wounded or foggy; let us be aware of their truth, their adoption stories, for that is what we must judge adoption by.
It’s not a easy story. It’s not a happy story, but it is not a horrible story either. It is a real story and most of all; it is Jung’s story and it is his truth. While drawn though a child’s eye, he does not cast a child’s feelings on it and gloss over or seem to exaggerates, but rather the same truthful light of recollection is shown on all. He shows the faults and failings of his whole family and himself. It is not a pity party; it is not a movie of blame. The good as well as the bad is reveled. It is a glimpse inside the emotions of moving through.
For those non adopted, it might seem easy to dismiss the importance of genetic mirroring since we do not have to think about it. It is just there. But it’s like saying that the air we breathe is not important because we don’t think about it and its just there. If we were to not have oxygen for even a few minutes, each and every one of us would be screaming to have it restored. Genetic mirroring is like that.
How many more children need to be sold into slavery? How many more birthmothers must kill themselves over the grief of losing their children? How many more adoptees must kill themselves? How many more adoptive families must fear for their lives? How many more adoptees must dig their own graves, or be killed or go missing os become wards of the state? How many more adoptees must die form not knowing their medical history? How many more fathers must be screwed out of their paternal rights? When are we going to be able to say more than “this is the exception”?
When does it become ENOUGH?
My birth mother’s husband knew about me from the beginning. He married my birth mother after I was out of the picture. I remember him pulling me aside in their living room and saying how he regretted he couldn’t see what I looked like. He had lost most of his vision to cataracts and diabetes and could only see shadows and outlines. We shared my secret in common, he the only cast member in this charade that seemed real.
What: first meeting of ACCESS MASSACUSETTS, a grass roots effort dedicated to passing legislation restoring the human right for all adult adopted people born in Massachusetts, access to their original birth certificates (OBC).
Where: Cambridge Family and Children’s Services office at 60 Gore Street, Cambridge, MA 02141
When: August 15th, from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Who: ACCESS MASSACHUSETTS and YOU!