Posted with permission from my friend Lydia Hollingsworth. She posted this in a private forum where only Korean adoptees are allowed, and it simultaneously broke my heart and inspired me (before I realized it was from someone I knew). Occasionally I wonder whether I have outgrown the private adoptee forums, as recycled subjects come up, and then a post like this comes along, that moves my soul and pushes it off-balance, shakes up my brain […]
One of the strangest and saddest reunion stories I have heard – but beautifully told in its raw and unflinching emotion. The cycle of abandonment stops with me. http://www.thegriefdiaries.org/nonfiction-by-soojin-pate/
“It is the stories that connect us.” #kad Tara Footner about adoptee voices. Excellent list of stories to follow up with. Now Is The Time For International Asian Adoptees To Share Their Stories
New occasional Korean adoptee portrait series by photographer Matthew Lavere. http://www.mattlavere.com/blog2/ First entry with Tara Revyn.
A case study in adoptees not knowing their own birth date – one of the many common knowledge details typically denied adoptees. One attempt at contacting the adoption agency for confirmation of existing information and filling in of blank spots went along the lines of “We’re sorry, but we cannot disclose this information about you without written consent from your biological father.” But he is dead! “We know.” How the hell am I going to get written consent from […]
Just some historical KAD films to keep on the radar, with some relevant links for each. Toby Dawson – Lost and Found (2011). Documents Toby’s reunion with birth father, facilitated by his olympic medal media exposure. http://jalbertfilm.com/index.php/video/toby-dawson-lost-found/ http://jalbertfilm.com/index.php/video/segment-from-toby-dawson-lost-and-found-mother/ http://jalbertfilm.com/index.php/video/segment-from-toby-dawson-lost-found/ Nathan Adolfson – Passing Through (1998). Must be one of the first professional films about reunion, Nathan eventually found his 3 siblings. There is an interesting ending to the story that i am wondering how and […]
Posted with permission of the author, this was a profound expression of the complexities of race as a KAD parent. It can be difficult to feel like an “authentic” korean, and then it becomes even more challenging because parents often want to pass on their heritage to their kids. (The heritage of one’s adoptive parents can feel even more foreign.) It is left up to the KAD to bear that burden which they may be […]
One example of a kad who finally learned more about her past and came to know herself in the process. She posted this in the korean american adoptee forum on facebook, where there is a lot of support around kad issues, in private with only other kad. [Reprinted with permission from the author.] As a self proclaimed recovering PERFECTIONIST I can tell you, I have read a million Self Help/Development Books. A seeker…. gaining much […]
Katelyn Hemmeke is one of my favorite writers an adoption issues. She has a new research project in Korea about reunions, about which she did an interview. http://keia.org/podcast/tearful-reunion-myth-exploring-challenges-korean-adoptees-face-while-searching-their-birth-f
Light-hearted story about trying to re-learn Korean ways around Lunar New Year. Embedded in the jokes is a lot of truth. https://wethelees.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/seollal/ Is We the Lees the longest run kad blog?
