Adoption STAR: “Scholarship Opportunities”
Adoption STAR offers four unique scholarship opportunities for the adoption community. Scholarships are for academics, LGBTQ+ prospective parents, and special needs children. All of the…
Resource Tag: Adoptees
Holt International: “Holt Adoptee Scholarship Contest”
This scholarship is open to all adoptees (domestic or international) who plan to or are currently in higher education. Applicants could be awarded up to…
UMPS CARE Charities: All-Star College Scholarship
This scholarship is for children adopted later in life (at or after 13). It aims to provide opportunities for advanced education (must be incoming freshman).…
Also-Known-As: Adoptee Excellence Scholarship
This scholarship is open to undergraduate international adoptees who demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity, and civic engagement. They seek candidates who have used their adoption story…
Asian Pacific Fund: Apply for Scholarships
This fund offers a wide range of scholarships with varying recipient amounts and qualifications. There are scholarships available for undergraduate and graduate students alike and…
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption: “FRUA’s Annual Scholarship Program for HS Seniors, College & Vocational Students”
FRUA offers four scholarships for Russian and Ukrainian students who have experienced hardship and demonstrated resiliency. In order to access required qualifications and submit your…
Family Resource Center on Disabilities: “Scholarships”
This center features a list of scholarships that are available for people with disabilities and come from foundations, organizations, or a broad range of other…
College Consensus: “35 Scholarships for Students with Disabilities”
This is a list of 35 scholarships for students with disabilities. Applicants need proof of a disability before they can find scholarships, financial aid, or…
Meetup: Adoptees
This is a location-based search directory for adoptee support groups. Profiles include location, contact information, events, and photos. It features a list of the largest…
Considering Adoption: “Adoptee Support Groups”
A list of adoptee support groups, including groups for general adoptee support, international adoptee support, foster care adoptee support, and person of color (POC) adoptee…
Adoption Family Support Network (AFSN): Post Adoption Support
This network gives adoptive parents a community of people to share experiences and answers about adoption. They have a list of support groups for parents…
Wrightslaw Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
This is a directory for resources for kids with disabilities across the United States. It lists consultants, psychologists, tutors, therapists, coaches, and other professionals who…
ICAV Post Adoption Services
A list of intercountry and transracial, adoptee-led, post-adoption services located in the US. It includes search reunion services, counseling and therapy services, mentorship programs, and…
Child Welfare Information Gateway: “Adoption”
This webpage offers resources on for all aspects of domestic and intercountry adoption, however it focuses on adoption from the US foster care system. It…
AAC: “State by State Support Groups”
A list of support groups in North America, including name, state, meeting times, and contact information. Group members can include both adopted adults and birth…
Gladney Center for Adoption: Adoption Forums
This is an online forum containing numerous threads about adoption. Categories include adoptive parents, foster care, special needs, adult adoptees, and more. Each category contains…
Heart of Adoptions, Incorporated: Support Groups
Heart of Adoptions is a private adoption agency. They offer a list of various support groups, and descriptions and contact information for each group. There…
Adoption Support Alliance: Connection Groups
This alliance brings adoptive families together in North Carolina. They offer three types of groups: therapist-led, community-led, and a mix of support and education (“support-ucation”).…
ICAV: Adoptee Led Groups
ICAV’s mission is to educate, support, connect, collaborate, galvanize, and give voice to intercountry adoptees. On this webpage, they provide a list of adoptee groups…
Adopted (2008)
This tells the story of two adoptees and their families. One family is a couple excitedly preparing for the adoption of a baby girl. The…
The Drop Box (2015)
A documentary about a South Korean pastor made famous for his “drop box.” The film underscores his religion, work with adoption, and the function of…
The Dark Matter of Love (2012)
A documentary on the psychological aspects of growing up with and without parental love. The story follows the Diaz family, who chooses to adopt three…
Found (2021)
The story of three adopted Chinese-American girls who discover they’re cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions…
Stuck (2013)
A documentary about children on their journeys from orphanages to homes in the United States. This explores the corruption and greed behind the adoption process.…
Approved for Adoption (2012)
An animated film about a Korean adoptee joining a Belgium family and his return to his birth country. The story follows him over the course…
Unlocking the Heart of Adoption (2002)
This is an hour-long documentary revealing the filmmaker’s journey as a birthmother. It also features the stories of adoptees, birthparents, and adoptive parents. A wide…
Somewhere Between (2011)
A documentary following the lives of four teenage girls adopted from China. The film explores their struggles with racism, identity formation, belonging, race, gender, and…
Healthgrades: Family and Marriage Counselors Near Me
A search engine that allows users to search for family and marriage counselors. Users can filter by state and browse therapists’ profiles by rating, testimonial,…
OnlineTherapy: “Marriage and Family Therapist Online”
An article and search directory, this source discusses the decision to find a marriage and family therapist online. It also links to a directory that…
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: “Adoption”
This article explains how adoption and the attitudes surrounding it have changed. It explains different reasonings behind the decision to adopt, and how adoptive parents,…
North American Council on Adoptable Children: “Therapy Plays an Important Role in Adoptive Families’ Lives”
This article discusses the role that family therapy plays in adoptive families’ lives. It explains why therapy is important and encourages readers to choose a…
No Hands But Ours: “Preparing for Adoption: A Family Therapist’s Perspective”
An article on preparing for adoption by Ashley Yeager — a family therapist and Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner. She offers five pieces of advice…
Angela Tucker
Angela Tucker is a multimedia phenomenon leading discussions about race, class, and identity. She was adopted from foster care to a white family, and grew…
Twin Sisters (2013)
This heartwarming documentary is about twin sisters who are adopted by different families. They find their way back to each other via social media. This…
First Person Plural (2000)
A documentary about an 8-year old girl who was adopted by an American family. She later discovers that she has a birth family in Korea.…
Searching for Go-Hyang (1998)
A film about twin sisters who are adopted into the US, but return back to Korea 14 years later. They hope to explore and reconnect…
aka DAN: Korean Adoption Documentary
A documentary about a Korean adoptee who journeys back to Korea to reunite with his biological family — including a twin brother he never knew…
Twinsters (2015)
A documentary about identical twin sisters who were separated at birth and find one another online. They meet, confirm their relationship with a DNA test,…
Blue Bayou (2021)
A movie about a Korean adoptee raised in Louisiana. He struggles to make a better life for his family. However, he must confront his past…
Off and Running (2009)
A movie about an African-American adoptee with white, Jewish lesbians parents and two other adopted siblings beginning to become more curious about their roots. Her…
One Child Nation (2019)
A documentary about the various perspectives on China’s One Child Policy. It interviews people who carried out the policy to the people who fell victim…
International Child Search Alliance (ICSA)
An international, all-volunteer group of adoptees and adoptive parents offering sources of information to help Chinese adoptees search for their birth families. There are guides…
The Guardian: “Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race”
A first-person piece about how structural racism exists today. The author explains why she will no longer discusses race with people who won’t consider or…
Find Black Therapist
This is a search engine for searching for Black therapists in the US. Users can filter by state, city, issue (including adoption), and type of…
The Guardian: “Confronting racism is not about the needs and feelings of white people”
A brief article about how the discussion of racism must emphasize marginalized voices. The author explains that discussing racism is never about comforting white people.
Time: “The Realities of Raising a Kid of a Different Race”
An article written by an adoptive mother about what every parent should know about transracial adoptions. This article is applicable to adoptees, but focuses on…
Adoptees for Justice
An intercountry, adoptee-led organization whose mission is to educate, empower, and organize transracial and international adoptee communities to achieve just and humane adoption, immigration, and…
Closure (2013)
A transracial adoptee finds her birth mother and meets the rest of her family who did not know she existed, including her birth father. This…
Lion (2016)
A movie about a birth family search based on a true story. A child from India gets lost, taken thousands of miles away from home,…
NPR: “Microaggressions are a big deal: How to talk them out and when to walk away”
A podcast and interview with Kevin Nadal on microaggressions and how their effects are not “micro.” Nadal also has his own website with literature and…
NPR: “Microaggressions: Be Careful What You Say”
An 8-minute podcast that explains microaggressions and how people often don’t understand why they’re problematic. The interviewee clarifies that the goal of recognizing and criticizing…
NPR: “How ‘Ching Chong’ Became The Go-To Slur For Mocking East Asians”
A brief article about the history and prevalence of a racist slur used against Asian people.
MTV Impact: “If Microaggressions Happened to White People”
A short, comedic YouTube video highlighting the microaggressions that people of color deal with everyday.
Vice: “Why People Still Laugh at Asian Accents: An Investigation”
An explanation of the racism that underpins the mockery of Asian accents. The article also examines why Asian accents are still laughed at today.
BBC: “The pervasive problem of ‘linguistic racism'”
An examination of the privileges that native English speakers (and English speakers with a native accent) have. The author considers how non-native speakers are discriminated…
NPR: “Want to have better conversations about racism with your parents? Here’s how”
An NPR article from the perspective of a biracial person. It explains how to have more complex, considerate discussions about racism with your parents.
NMAAHC: “Being Antiracist”
This article explains the levels at which racism exists (individual, interpersonal, institutional, etc.). It also provides simple exercises for people to engage with and examine…
NCFA: “Post-Adoption Services Acknowledging and Dealing with Loss”
An article on the way loss, rejection, guilt, grief, identity, intimacy, and control, affect adoptees’ experiences and lives.
Dear Asian Youth: “Mocking an Asian Accent is Never Funny”
A first-person piece on why mocking an Asian accent should never be considered funny. The author talks about how mocking accents contributes to racism.
NCFA: “How Adoption Will Be Impacted If Congress Passes These Four Bills in 2022”
An article on the four proposed bills (from 2022) that Congress was set to vote on regarding different adoption issues. Bills concern the simplification of…
Vox: “What exactly is a microaggression?”
This article describes what microaggressions are and how they’re more than everyday slights or remarks. It also explains the negative impacts they have on individuals,…
NCFA: Internships
The webpage for the NCFA Internship application. This is an unpaid opportunity located in Virginia that works to strengthen and support adoption.
Child Welfare Information Gateway: “Adoption and School”
A webpage with resources for dealing with awkward questions and challenging assignments that adoptees have to handle at school.
Therapy Chat: “195: The Trauma of Adoption”
This podcast episode considers how attachment trauma affects adopted children and adoptive parents. The hosts also discuss how adoption can change family and community relationships.
Adoptee Voices Rising
An adoptee-led, social justice group that advocates for the adoptee community through political engagement and legislation.
The Seattle Times: “Adoption across races: ‘I know my parents love me, but they don’t love my people’”
An article where adoptee Angela Tucker discusses feeling like a racial impostor growing up. She explains that while she looked Black, she didn’t feel that…
The Conversation: “Explainer: what is casual racism?”
An explanation of the everyday and more subtle forms of racism that racial minorities face. The article explains how casual racism is upheld through jokes,…
Creating a Family: “Helping Your Adopted Child Handle Adoption Microaggressions”
A short article that identifies variations of microaggressions that are particular to adoption. It also teaches adopted children strategies to maintain their confidence and coping…
The World I Live In: “I am a mother, grandmother and a birth mother”
A podcast episode where a birth mother speaks about her decision to give up one of her children. She mentions that it was one of…
Adoption Mosaic
This organization’s vision is to connect with adoption communities for progressive dialogue about adoption-related topics. They also offer support and education to people new to…
The New York Times: “Deportation a ‘Death Sentence’ to Adoptees After a Lifetime in the U.S.”
An article about adult Korean adoptees who have been deported back to Korea. It discusses a problem with U.S. adoption: some international adoptees unknowingly never…
NCFA: “Educational Webinars for the Adoption Community”
A webinar library that covers countless topics: post adoption, school based support for adoptees, Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), LGBTQ competency for adoption professionals,…
Vox: “Why adoption isn’t a replacement for abortion rights”
When the Roe v. Wade draft leaked, many people argued that adoption could replace abortion. This article discusses the shortcomings of this argument and rhetoric.…
American Adoptions: “The Truth About Adopted Adults and Relationship Issues”
An article explaining that many adoptees feel they have relationship issues originating from their adoption. It cites that adoptees may have difficulties in both platonic…
NCFA: “Using Accurate Adoption Language”
A short, introductory article about vocabulary suggestions for terms relating to adoption. This article offers alternative words and phrases to ones that are considered inaccurate,…
NCFA: “Being a Birth Mom Changed the Way I Parent”
An article where a birth mom reflects on giving up her first daughter to adoption, then giving birth to and raising two children after.
HuffPost: “10 Things Adoptees Want You to Know”
An article written by an adoptee about what the world should know about the adoption experience. While this is only an introductory adoption article, the…
Angela Tucker: The Adopted Life
A 2-hour virtual workshop led by a transracial adoptee (Angela Tucker). Families leave understanding how transracial adoptees progress from racial awareness to racial identity, as…
AdoptUSKids: “Florida post-adoption support”
A landing page for post-adoption support services and parent support groups available to families in Florida.
American Adoptions: “4 Unique Challenges Faced By Transracial Adoptees”
An article by American Adoptions that examines some of the challenges that many transracial adoptees face.
Creating a Family: “A Dialog Between an Adoptive Parent and an Adult Adoptee”
An adoptive parent’s blog about how reading adoptee’s stories and opinions worries her. Adult adoptee responds by addressing her fears. This is a good resource…
Adoption Associates: “Openness in Adoption”
A brief article offering suggestions to prospective adoptive parents and current adoptive parents for maintaining transparency in adoption. It discusses birth families, the search and…
BuzzFeed News: “What A Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew”
An essay from the perspective of a Black, transracial adoptee. The author discusses the racial dynamics in a family with transracial adoption.
Considering Adoption: “5 Things the Spouse of an Adoptee Should Know”
A brief article about five ways in which you can uniquely support and love an adopted spouse.
Psychology Today: “Adult Adoptee Voices Are Changing Adoption Narrative”
An article written by a Korean-American adoptee about the Side by Side project, where adoptees discuss their lives, relationships, and origins. Side by Side also…
NCFA: Stories
A list from The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) of articles for and fromadoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, and expecting parents.
The Adoption and Fostering Podcast
A podcast series that interviews birth parents, adoptees, and family members of adoptees. It features conversations about contemporary adoption and fostering. Episodes are 40-50 minutes…
Two Adoptees Uncensored: “Listening to Adoptees”
A podcast episode featuring a queer, transracial adoptee from Vietnam. Christopher reflects on his identity and growing up in a white family and predominantly white…
Adoptees On: “33 [S2 E10] Marni – A Model Reunion”
Although this podcast episode is full of hard and honest conversations, it’s ultimately about the joyful reunion between birth mother and adoptee. The episode walks…
Time: “My White Adoptive Parents Struggled to See Me as Korean. Would They Have Understood My Anger at the Rise in Anti-Asian Violence?”
An article about a Korean-American adoptee’s thoughts on the title of “adoptee” and the racial dynamics in transracial adoptions.
Adoptees On: “24 [Healing Series] How Do I Tell My Adoptive Parents I’m Searching?”
This podcast episode is about how to talk with your parents about searching for your birth family. The episode discusses how it’s normal for adoptees…
Los Angeles Times: “‘I’m not allowed to feel those things’: How adoptees experience anti-Asian hate”
An article about the complex ways Asian adoptees experience culture, anti-Asian hate, and racism as a result of being adopted.
Adoptee Mentoring Society
An online mentorship community that values adoptee power, intersectionality, and a healing community. They offer online group meetings between adoptees, and 1:1 mentorship with affordable…
NPR: “‘Am I Asian Enough?’ Adoptees Struggle To Make Sense Of Spike In Anti-Asian Violence”
Adoptees explain their feelings regarding the surge in anti-Asian violence and the ways in which they are affected by racism.
The New York Times Magazine: “Why a Generation of Adoptees Is Returning to South Korea”
An article by a Korean adoptee which explores the reasons and ways for South Korean adoptees to return to their birthplace. There are also many…
Rhonda M. Roorda, MA
Rhonda is a transracial adoptee from New York. She is an author and public speaker and her work focuses on her identity as a Black…
Adoptees On
A Spotify podcast where adoptees discuss the adoption experience. Hosts emphasize open and vulnerable discussions. Episodes range from 40 minutes to an hour and a…
Who Am I Really?
A podcast where adoptees of all different backgrounds discuss their adoptions and attempts at reunion with their biological families. Episodes range from 30 minutes to…
Vox: “Genes aren’t destiny, and other things I’ve learned from being adopted”
An adoptee speaks candidly about their adoption experience — dealing with other people’s expectations and the ways in which birth family connection can be powerful.
NPR: “Growing Up ‘White,’ Transracial Adoptee Learned To Be Black”
An article and podcast on NPR about a Black, transracial adoptee. Chad Goller-Sojourner reflects on his identity and experiences growing up with white parents and…
