Intersections: Race & Adoption will explore how racism may be experienced by adoptees. Most of these experiences happen without words. This webinar will help adoptees begin to navigate the conversations around race and how this may intersect with adoption

1. Intersections: Race &
Adoption
Melanie Chung-sherman, LCSw, LCPAA, PLLC.

2. Intersection of
Race
“not to mention race or the impacts of racism. . Or expose me to anyone
who is of my bones is to do violence against the very essence of who I
am.”
--transracial adoptee

3. Racism
 Collective prejudice
backed by legal,
legislative, institutional
and financial power within
the broader society.
 It is a system, not merely
an individual act.
 Once rationalization to
uphold institutions are
internalized, it does not
take much to stay within
these systems.
 It exists without words.

7. Growing Up

8. My High
School
Yearbook

9. Who are
marginalized
groups in
adoption?
 Adoptees
 First Families
 People of Color
 Religious minorities
 Special Needs
 Socio-economic
 What other intersections can you think of?

10. Reflection
 “I don’t see color.”
 “They are being too sensitive.”
 “You have to be the bigger person.”
 “[That] is not what so-and-so meant.”
 “Does it always have to be about race?”
 “There are two sides to every story.”
 “Let’s give the benefit of the doubt.”
 “All lives matter.”

12. What is Intersectionality?
What intersections are relevant in your life?
What are other intersections to consider?
Cross-sections of our identity

13. Intersectionality

14. Race: What
do TRAs
internalize?
“No one is born hating
another person because
of the color of his skin, or
his background, or his
religion. People must
learn to hate, and if they
can learn to hate, they
can be taught to love, for
love comes more
naturally to the human
heart than its opposite.”
--Nelson Mandela

15. Consider
marginalized
groups
 What comes to mind?
 How would race intersect within those
experiences?
 What does it mean to ally?

16. The Dolezal
Effect

17. Black Lives
Matter

18. Your Friend?

19. Your loved
one?

20. Your
Neighbor?

21. Your Son?

22. Your
Daughter?

23. What Kind of Asian Are You?

24. The
Psychological
Cost of Silence
(Tatum, 2003)
 When we feel heard, we feel soothed and
comforted.
 To remain silent can also translate into
self-blame & self-doubt.
 When we persist in sharing our stories, but
are silenced, it will take a psychological
toll.
 In order to prevent discomfort, white &
kids of color (KOC) are socialized not to
address race at all.
 Privilege goes unnoticed and only in
extreme cases are blatant acts of racism
noticed.
 When denied an experience, it is
traumatizing.

25. Impacts of
Internalized
Racism

26. Perspective

27. Address Why
Racism is So hard
to Discuss
 Taught not to generalize
 Post-racial idealism
 We assume our
experiences are similar to
others
 Cannot address what we
cannot / refuse to see
 Acts of racism are singular
and not systemic
 It is impolite, rude, and
socially unacceptable.

28. Reverse
Racism
 Racism systematically
upholds white superiority
and cultural norms
 POCs can hold prejudice
and discrimination, but do
not have the power to
enact laws and legislation
 POCs may react based on
systemic oppression and
marginalization, but must
still exist within dominant
system

29. Racism is a trigger for racial
exploration
 Experiences live without words for early developmental
years
 Encounters experienced at a younger age will have
longitudinal impacts
 Not talking about racism does not mean it does not exist
for a child of color
 Discriminatory experiences will lead a person of color to
finally accept that racism cannot be denied.
 These are opportunities that most tend to shut down.

30. Pyramid
of Hate

33. TRAs
 Silences self and others (in effort to
uphold status quo)
 Halts ability to empathize with other
marginalized groups
 Stunts development as POC & racial
awareness at behest of white dominance
(unconsciously)
 Idealizes portions of adoption narrative
that frames white saviorism as only good
 Limits actively engaging communities of
color and identity work

34. Microaggressions
“Racial microaggressions
are brief and
commonplace daily
verbal, behavioral, or
environmental
indignities, whether
intentional or
unintentional, that
communicate hostile,
derogatory, or negative
racial slights and insults
toward people of color.”
- “Racial
Microaggressions in
Everyday Life”

35. Microaggressions:
What do your
children experience?

37. Transracial Adoptees Speak.
Listen.

39. Trauma and Racism
Researchers continue to validate the links between frightening,
unpredictable events in childhood—before their brains are fully
developed. Before words to express. Before life experience. . .

40. Reculturation:
Reclaiming
Birth Culture
and Ethnicity

41. Phase 1: Enculturation Begins
 Enculturation, or developing awareness of birth culture,
occurs from birth and in-utero.
 Complex enculturation takes place for adoptees who are
placed out of home—and then enculturate with foster care,
orphanages, and/or kinship care culture.
 Continues until adoptees are adopted and arrive in their
family.
(Baden, et al., 2012)

42. Phase 2: Relinquishment and
Temporary Care
 Continuation takes place for adoptees who are placed out
of home—and then enculturate with foster care,
orphanages, and/or kinship care culture.
(Baden, et al., 2012)

43. Phase 3: Adoption, Assimilation
Starts
 Assimilation into adoptive family/culture begins,
enculturation stops
 Survival is connected to communication
 Language, food, family life changes abruptly
 Lack, or very limited exposure of birth culture
(Baden, et al., 2012)

44. Phase 4: Reculturation Process
 Adult process
 Outside experience from the adoptive family—
 Prompted when adoptee recognizes he/she is seen as
person of color independent of adoptive family
 Education
 Experience
 Immersion
(Baden, et al., 2012)

45. Methods of Reculturation for
TRAs
 Changing/integrating birth name into legal name
 Re-identifying and associating with adoptee
culture/community
 Living, studying, or visiting birth country
 Engaging and creating new friendships and social circles
 Educating oneself about race and racism
 “Pulling away” from adoptive family in search for integrated
identity

46. Experiences of TRA’s
 Stepping out the door is a different experience:
 Mentally and emotionally preparing to be out in public with a
family who does not look like them.
 Anxiety may also be tied to racial awareness—triggering body
memory related to past trauma
 It is one thing to be the parent of a child of color—it is another
to be the child of color in a White world.
 Systematic microaggressions are not always appropriated by
complete strangers, but by family members and friends.
 “A million tiny cuts.. .”
 Racialized experiences can be traumatic--unpredictable

47. What is inclusive diversity?
 What does “diversity” mean to you? Your child(ren)?
 Educators/Administrators
 Therapists
 Doctors/Dentists
 Places of Worship
 Extended family
 Integration of trauma-informed care and transracial issues
are critical.
 Remember that diversity is not perceived the same way as
people of color experience it.

48. Framing the Conversation
 Recognize how forms of othering and silencing can become
more visible within your family.
 Acknowledge and then become aware of privilege status in
relation to POCs.
 Adopting across racial lines does not co-opt race.
 Analyze your circle—how integrated are you within your
community of color? Beyond adoption status?
 How often do you explain that you live in a diverse
community versus living within diversity?
 This still leaves the responsibility on your child(ren) to seek
diversity.

49. Cont’d
 How often do you engage in conversation regarding race?
 How might that be perceived by your child as an adult?
 Race typically precedes conversations regarding adoption
for most TRAs.
 Silence says it’s OK—and is internalized by your child as
shame.
 Actively engage and listen to the dialogues presented by
people of color.

50. Creating Intentional Safe
Spaces
 The Lost Daughters
 Transracial Adoption Perspectives/TRA 101
 Also-Known-As, Inc.
 I AM Adoptee
 Connect-a-Kid
 Adoptee community, particularly transracial adoptees, are
empowered to create spaces and use their voice

51. TRA blogs and resources
 The Lost Daughters
http://www.thelostdaughters.com/
 Land of Gazillion Adoptees (LGA)
http://landofgazillionadoptees.com/
 AdoptionEchoes
http://adoptionechoes.com/about/
 I Am Adoptee (FB)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-AM-
Adoptee/1477444802529905
 A Birth Project
https://birthproject.wordpress.com/about-lisa-marie/

52. What to do?
 Get in touch with your own
biases.
 Recognize that race will
amplify feelings and
experiences for children of
color.
 Listen for context.
 Experiences will not reflect
white experiences.
 Educate yourself on racist
symbols, epithets, and slurs
 Seek POCs/white allies who
have been doing this for a
while

53. Working towards Anti-racist
Views
 Backlash and pushback as common among other White family, peers, and
colleagues when intentional anti-racist work begins.
 This will leave white family and friends in discomfort.
 Suspicions and distrust by POCs when whites engage in antiracist work, but
stay the course.
 Examine your circle of friends and loved ones.
 Move toward intentional understanding of your biases. (We all have them!)
 Understand our collective history.
 Scrutinize carefully research and information lacking in intersectional data.
 Read, listen, and support academics, artists, and authors of color.

54. References
 Baden, A. L., Treweeke, L. M. & Ahluwalia, M. K. (2012).
Reclaiming culture: Reculturation of transracial and
international adoptees. Journal of Counseling &
Development, 90, 387- 399.