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UMPS CARE Charities: All-Star College Scholarship

For in-coming college freshmen, the UMPS CARE Charities All-Star College Scholarship is for children adopted later in life (at or after 13) to provide increase opportunities for advanced education. Each year one student will be selected to recieve a scholarship of up tp $10, 000 annually to go towards tuition, books, and other college-related expenses.

Also-Known-As: Adoptee Excellence Scholarship

The Also-Known-As Adoptee Excellence Scholarship known as the All Star Scholarship is open to graduating or current undergraduate international adoptees “who demonstrate the attributes of leadership, drive, integrity, and civic engagement. We seek candidates who have used their adoption story and formative youth experiences to lead, serve, and pursue a life of purpose and significance, both individually and for their communities.”

Asian Pacific Fund: Apply for Scholarships

The Asian Pacific Fund offers a wide range of scholarships with varying recipient amounts and qualifications.

Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption: “FRUA’s Annual Scholarship Program for HS Seniors, College & Vocational Students”

Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption offers three different scholarships. In order to access required qualifications and submit your application, a current family membership with FRUA is required.

Adoption Support Alliance: Connection Groups

The Adoption Support Alliance brings together adoptive families from across the Charlotte region. They offer six groups, within three categories: therapist-led, community-led, or a mix of support and education known as support-ucation. Session donations of $20 are suggested, but all groups are “Pay What You Can” and members are encouraged to participate only whenever possible.

ICAV: Adoptee Led Groups

Intercountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV) mission is to educate, support, connect, collaborate, galvanize and give voice to intercountry adoptees from around the world. They include a list of organizations that can be sorted based on those specific to country of origin, and those all inclusive for adoptees of any country.

Meetup: Adoptees

Meetup Adoptee is a location based search directory for adoptees looking for support groups. Each profile includes a location, contact information, events, and photos from the group. It also includes a list of the largest adoptee groups.

Considering Adoption: “Adoptee Support Groups”

A list of adoptee support groups that includes subcategories of general adoptee support groups, international adoptee support groups, foster care adoptee support groups, and person of color (POC) adoptee support groups. The article also includes various other adoptee support and resources.

Adoption Family Support Network (AFSN): Post Adoption Support

The Adoptive Family Support Group gives adoptive parents access to a community of people who can provide answers and share experiences. One resource they offer is a list of different support groups available to parents in Michigan filtered by county. Another is a calendar with different events occurring during the month and a description.

Wrightslaw Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities

Yellow Pages for Kids is a directory for resources for kids with disabilities across the United States. It lists consultants, psychologists, tutors, therapists, coaches, and other professionals who serve children with disabilities. Their search tool allows the user to narrow by state, and control+f for a nearby zip code.

ICAV Post Adoption Services

List of intercountry and transracial, adoptee-led, post-adoption services located in the USA. Has search reunion services, counseling therapy services, and more.

Child Welfare Information Gateway: “Adoption”

Resources on all aspects of domestic and intercountry adoption, with a focus on adoption from the U.S. foster care system. Includes information for adoption professionals, adopted adults, expectant parents considering adoption, birth parents and relatives, and prospective and adoptive parents on a broad range of adoption topics.

AAC: “State by State Support Groups”

The American Adoption Congress offers a list of support groups in the United States and Canada including name, location/state, meeting times, and contact information. The group’s members can include both adopted adults and birth parents, others welcome anyone impacted by adoption, and a few are open exclusively to adoptees or birth parents.

Gladney Center for Adoption: Adoption Forums

Adoption Forum is an online community forum containing many different threads relating to various aspects of adoptions. Larger categories include adoptive parents, foster care, special needs, adult adoptees, and more. Each category contains multiple subcategories where people can interact with each other and ask/answer questions.

Heart of Adoptions, Incorporated: Support Groups

Heart of Adoptions is a private adoption agency designed to help create families through adoption. They offer a list of various support groups and accompanying descriptions, alongside ways to contact the groups.

Adopted (2008)

Adopted tells the story of two adoptees and their families. One family is a couple preparing for the adoption of a baby girl. The other, a 32 year old adoptee from Korea that has struggled to speak with her adoptive parents her whole life about adoption. The two stories are at opposite ends of the adoption process, but both stories converge to show that love alone is not enough to make a family work.

The Drop Box (2015)

Pastor Lee Jong Rak is a pastor in South Korea. His ‘drop box’ is a space where children can be placed if the parent decides to give up their child. Throughout the film, Pastor Lee emphasizes the special value of each child’s life, and how God has a plan for the little ones. The documentary focuses on his work with adoption and the babies placed inside his ‘drop box’.

North American Council on Adoptable Children: “Therapy Plays an Important Role in Adoptive Families’ Lives”

This article discusses the important role family therapy plays in adoptive families’ lives. It describes why therapy is important, and urges the reader to choose a therapist that is right for them.

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 Practitioner. She incorporates a spiritual feel, and explains different steps for prospective adoptive parents to take.

The Dark Matter of Love (2012)

A documentary on the psychological aspects of growing up with and without parental love. The story centers around the Diaz family, who chooses to adopt three orphans from Russia, and how their new and old kids handle family together. It also covers their work with individualized family therapy that helps them to begin communicating more effectively.

Found (2021)

The story of three adopted Chinese-American teenage girls who discover they’re blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history and travel back to China.

Stuck (2013)

A documentary that follows four children from three different countries on their individual voyages from orphanages to their new homes with families in the United States. It explores the corruption and greed behind the adoption process as parents try to adopt kids but are blocked by outside efforts.

Approved for Adoption (2012)

An animated film about a young Korean boy joining a Belgium family and his return to his birth country. The story follows him over the course of his life, and the times when his adoption influenced whether or not he felt accepted.

Unlocking the Heart of Adoption (2002)

This is an hour-long documentary which chronicles the filmmaker’s journey as a birthmother and reveal the personal storeis of adoptees, birthparents, and adoptive parents. A wide variety of perspectives on adoption are explored, including the connections between birth families and adoptive families.

Somewhere Between (2011)

A documentary on four different teenage girls adopted from China under the One Child Policy who are currently living in the United States. The film explores their struggles with racism, identity formation, belonging, and race and gender.

Healthgrades: Family and Marriage Counselors Near Me

A search engine that allows users to search for family and marriage counselors by state, and view therapists profiles including ratings, testimonials, location, options for virtual therapy, background checks, and more. Users are also able to filter by doctors, conditions, or procedures.

OnlineTherapy: “Marriage and Family Therapist Online”

An article and search directory, this source discusses the decision to find a marriage and family therapist online and also links to a directory that allows users to filter by state. It is possible to search through 50 states and view profiles listing: years of experience, language, specialization, and bios.

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: “Adoption”

This article explains how adoption, and the attitudes surrounding it have changed over the years. It explains different reasonings behind the decision to adopt, and how adoptive parents, like biological parents, love their children and want the best for them. The difference is that adopted children face different challenges that family therapy can help resolve or manage.

Closure (2013)

A trans-racial adoptee finds her birth mother, and meets the rest of her family who did not know she existed, including her birth father. This documentary explores themes such as identity, the complexities of trans-racial adoption, and closure.

Lion (2016)

The extraordinary birth search family based on a true story. When a little boy from India gets lost on a train and taken thousands of miles away from home gets adopted by an Australian couple. With his unforgettable memories, his determination, and the online technology Google Earth, 25 years later Saroo sets out to find his first home.

Angela Tucker

Angela Tucker is an author, a podcaster, a film producer and has gained a reputation for being a national thought leader on the intersectional topics of race, class, and identity. She was adopted from foster care to a white family, and grew up in a city that was predominantly white. She has 15+ years of working in social welfare organizations, has consulted with NBC’s This Is Us, and supported the lead actor of Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill. Her first book is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2023 (Beacon Press).

Twin Sisters (2013)

This documentary film is happy and heartwarming about twin sisters who are adopted by two separate families who find their way back to each other via social media. This movie brings up topics such as growing, learning, understanding, and identity.

First Person Plural (2000)

This documentary film tells the true story of an 8-year old girl who is adopted by an American family, only to discover years later that she has a birth family in Korea. The documentary explores themes of identity, race, assimilation, and birth family reunion.

Searching for Go-Hyang (1998)

This film is about twin sisters who are adopted into the US but return back to Korea 14 years later in hopes of exploring and reconnecting with their homeland and roots. This story addresses issues of national identity and cross cultural adoption.

aka DAN: Korean Adoption Documentary

Dan Matthews is a Korean adoptee who journeys back to Korea to reunite with his biological family, including a twin brother he never knew he had. He has all this documented and shared on his YouTube channel for his fans/followers to follow along to.

Twinsters (2015)

This documentary tells the true-life story of identical twin sisters separated at birth who discover each other online. They meet and confirm their identity with a DNA test, and they set out to explore aspects of their background together. One twin lives in the US while the other twin lives in France.

Blue Bayou (2021)

A Korean-American man raised in the Louisiana bayou works hard to make ends meet for his family. However, he must confront ghosts of his past when he discovers he could be deported from the US and sent back to South Korea.

Off and Running (2009)

Avery, an African-American adoptee and track star with white Jewish lesbians for parents and two other adopted siblings begins to become more curious about her roots. Her curiosity about her African-American heritage grows and she decides to contact her birth mother. Avery’s life turns into a crisis and struggles over her “true” identity, her isolation from Black culture, and the circumstances of her adoption.

One Child Nation (2019)

This film includes the various diverse perspectives on the one child policy that China implemented in 1980, from the people who carried out the policy to the people who fell victim to the policy. This film is for anyone interested in learning about one of China’s biggest and most impactful planning initiatives. It’s an eye-opening documentary to give new perspectives and understandings of the causes and effects of the policy.

International Child Search Alliance (ICSA)

ICSA is an all-volunteer international group of adoptees and adoptive parents offering multiple sources of information to help adoptees from China search for their birth families. Advice is given on ‘Getting Started’, ‘Hiring a Searcher’, ‘Birth Parents Searching for Children’, and more. There is also How-To-Guides that include DNA testing, using the app WeChat, Joining a Province Search, visiting the CCCWA, and more.

The Guardian: “Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race”

“A first person account by British journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge on the ways structural racism prevails today but how some white people refuse to see it. She explains why she will no longer be discussing this with people who won’t listen. The author talks about how people must first acknowledge that they benefit from structural racism and understand that color blindness is not the solution.”

Find Black Therapist

“This search engine searches for Black therapists throughout the United States. It is filterable by state, city, issues, telehealth, and includes a filter for adoption as well. However, their selection for adoptees is more limited. “

The Guardian: “Confronting racism is not about the needs and feelings of white people”

“Short first person account by Ijeoma Oluo on how the discussion of racism needs to center around the voices of those who are marginalized. “

Time: “The Realities of Raising a Kid of a Different Race”

“An article written by an adoptive mother on what every parent should know about transracial adoptions. This article is applicable to adoptees but centers around the Black adoptee experience growing up in a white household.”

Adoptees for Justice

“Adoptees For Justice is an intercountry adoptee-led organization whose mission is to educate, empower, and organize transracial and transnational adoptee communities to achieve just and humane adoption, immigration, and restorative justice systems. We envision a world where every person thrives in a safe and supportive environment in which communities of color, immigrants, and adoptees are liberated from all forces of injustice, with full citizenship for all. Our first project is to educate, organize and advocate for an Adoptee Citizenship Act that is inclusive of all adoptees.”

The Seattle Times: “Adoption across races: ‘I know my parents love me, but they don’t love my people’”

“Adoptee Angela Tucker discusses how she felt like a racial impostor growing up. She explains that she may have looked Black, but didn’t feel that way.”

The Conversation: “Explainer: what is casual racism?”

“An explanation of everyday and more subtle forms of racism and the microaggressions that racial minorities face.”

NPR: “Microaggressions are a big deal: How to talk them out and when to walk away”

“Podcast and interview with Kevin Nadal on microaggressions and how their impact is not “micro.”” Nadal also has his own website with books on microaggressions and other subjects.”

NPR: “Microaggressions: Be Careful What You Say”

“An 8 minute NPR podcast that explains microagressions and how sometimes “”because people are good, moral – experience themselves as good, moral, decent individuals, they find it very difficult to accept the fact that they have been engaged in a discriminatory action, or may harbor racial biases that they have. And it violates, in some sense, their sense of being a good person.”” “

NPR: “How ‘Ching Chong’ Became The Go-To Slur For Mocking East Asians”

A short article on the history and prevalence of a racist slur used against Asian people.

MTV Impact: “If Microaggressions Happened to White People”

A 3 minute YouTube video highlighting the microaggressions people of color deal with everyday.

Vice: “Why People Still Laugh at Asian Accents: An Investigation”

“An explanation of the racism involved when people mock Asian accents, and the way Asian accents are still laughed at today.”

BBC: “The pervasive problem of ‘linguistic racism'”

“An examination of the privileges native English speakers (and English speakers with a native accent) hold from a native English speaker’s perspective.”

NPR: “Want to have better conversations about racism with your parents? Here’s how”

“An NPR article from the perspective of a biracial person with a white mother and father from West Africa. It explains how to have more complex, understanding discussions about racism with your parents.”

NMAAHC: “Being Antiracist”

This article explains the ways in which racism exists (individual, interpersonal, institutional, etc.). It also provides simple exercises for people to engage with and examine their own perspective.

NCFA: “Post-Adoption Services Acknowledging and Dealing with Loss”

“An article on the way Loss, Rejection, Guilt/Shame, Grief, Identity, Intimacy, and Mastery/Control, all impact the adoptee experience.”

Dear Asian Youth: “Mocking an Asian Accent is Never Funny”

“First person piece on why mocking an Asian accent is never funny from the website DearAsianYouth. This article talks about how mocking accents contributes to racism.”

NCFA: “How Adoption Will Be Impacted If Congress Passes These Four Bills in 2022”

“An article written in January on the four proposed bills (from 2022) that Congress was set to vote on regarding different adoption issues.”

Vox: “What exactly is a microaggression?”

“This article describes microaggressions and how they go beyond everyday slights or remarks, as well as the negative impact they have.”

NCFA: Internships

A link that brings you to the NCFA Internship application. This is an unpaid internship located in Virginia.

Child Welfare Information Gateway: “Adoption and School”

“Landing page with links and resources for dealing with awkward questions/challenging classroom assignments when adoptees start schools.”

Therapy Chat: “195: The Trauma of Adoption”

This episode considers how attachment trauma can affect adopted children and adoptive parents. The hosts also discuss how adoption can change relationships within a family and between the family and their community.

Adoptee Voices Rising

“Adoptee Voices Rising is an adoptee-led, social justice group that advocates for the adoptee community through political engagement and legislation.”

NCFA: “Being a Birth Mom Changed the Way I Parent”

A birth mom reflects on giving up her first daughter to adoption, and giving birth to two children after.

Creating a Family: “Helping Your Adopted Child Handle Adoption Microaggressions”

“Short article that identifies different variations of microaggressions that are particular to adoption. It also teaches strategies to instill confidence and coping strategies for children when handling microaggressions.”

The World I Live In: “I am a mother, grandmother and a birth mother”

A birth mother speaks on her decision to give up one of her children.

Adoption Mosaic

“Adoption Mosaic’s vision is to build bridges with adoption communities for forward-thinking dialogue on adoption-related topics while offering support and education to those who are learning what it means to be a part of the adoption constellation. The Adoption Mosaic mission is to connect, honor, and serve the adoption constellation through innovation in education, practices, and support services.”

The New York Times: “Deportation a ‘Death Sentence’ to Adoptees After a Lifetime in the U.S.”

“An article on the lives lived by adult Korean adoptees deported back to Korea after US adoptive parents failed to attain citizenship for them. It talks about a problem that the US needs to urgently address: adoptees from abroad who never attained American citizenship. “

NCFA: “Educational Webinars for the Adoption Community”

These webinars by the National Community for Adoption cover a wide range of topics: post adoption, school based support for adoptees, Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), LGBTQ competency for adoption professionals, as well as financing adoption. They have a library of on-demand webinars designed to meet the needs of today’s adoption professionals and offer supportive education to adoptive families.

Vox: “Why adoption isn’t a replacement for abortion rights”

“When the leaked draft on Roe v. Wade was released, many people argued adoption would be able to replace abortion. This article discusses the shortcomings of this argument and rhetoric. Also, it details the long term consequences for birth parents and also adoptees as a result of separation. “

American Adoptions: “The Truth About Adopted Adults and Relationship Issues”

“An article explaining that although not many studies have been conducted on adoptees and trauma, many adoptees feel they have relationship issues tracing back to their adoption.”

NCFA: “Using Accurate Adoption Language”

” A short, introductory article on word replacement suggestions for words relating to adoption. Instead of words that may be considered inaccurate or inadequate, this article offers alternatives. “

Adoption Associates: “Openness in Adoption”

“A short article offering suggestions mainly to prospective adoptive parents, but also current adoptive parents. It includes topics such as birth families, the search and reunion process, and maintaining openness.”

HuffPost: “10 Things Adoptees Want You to Know”

“An article written by an adoptee on the 10 things adoptees want you to know. While 10 things does not cover everything, the author touches on many relevant aspects and experiences that adoptees have. “

Angela Tucker: The Adopted Life

A workshop led by Angela Tucker, a transracial adoptee. Her website describes the workshop as the following: Adoptees of color who are parented by white people have different needs than their non-adoptive counterparts and are well-served by thoughtful attention to the intersectionality of race, culture and identity by all in their life – not just their parents. This workshop is fully customized and invites all of the people in that child’s life to come together for a 2-hour virtual workshop, facilitated by Angela. Families leave with a deeper understanding of how transracial adoptees grow through the development stages of racial awareness to racial identity, and practical skills for how to handle insensitive or racist remarks.

AdoptUSKids: “Florida post-adoption support”

“A landing page for post-adoption support services available to families who live in Florida.”

American Adoptions: “4 Unique Challenges Faced By Transracial Adoptees”

“An article on American Adoptions that examines 4 challenges that many adoptees will have to face (also included in race education).”

Creating a Family: “A Dialog Between an Adoptive Parent and an Adult Adoptee”

“The article is an adoptive parent sharing concerns and how reading adoptee voices scares her. In this blog, an adult adoptee responds section by section and addresses these fears while still asking that adoptee voices be listened to. While short and only one viewpoint, still a good starting point for scared adoptive parents to read.”

Vox: “Genes aren’t destiny, and other things I’ve learned from being adopted”

An adoptee speaks candidly about their experience being adopted, dealing with other people’s expectations, and the ways in which birth family connection is powerful, but not everything.

NPR: “Growing Up ‘White,’ Transracial Adoptee Learned To Be Black”

7 min listen and article on NPR, a Black, transracial adoptee reflects on his identity and experiences growing in life with white parents and white privilege.

BuzzFeed News: “What A Black Woman Wishes Her Adoptive White Parents Knew”

An essay from the first person 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”

This brief article by Considering Adoption touches on five different things spouses need to know and recognize. While not incredibly complicated or detailed, this article is a good place to start.

Psychology Today: “Adult Adoptee Voices Are Changing Adoption Narrative”

“The article is written by a Korean transracial adoptee speaking about the Side x Side project where adoptees discuss their lives, relationships, and origins. It summarizes the project and talks about how even if adoptive parents think their relationship is great, it may be prudent to reexamine and ask honestly how their children are feeling “

NCFA: Stories

“The National Council for Adoption provides articles for and from adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, and expecting parents. “

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

“A podcast series that follows birth parents, adoptees, and different family members of adoptees (including grandmothers). It features conversations about contemporary adoption and fostering. Episodes are roughly 40-50 min long and involve first person expertise and experts on different subjects.”

Two Adoptees Uncensored: “Listening to Adoptees”

“Christopher, identifies as a queer transracial adoptee born in Vietnam and was adopted at 1 year old. He reflects on growing up in a white family, and predominantly white community. “

Adoptees On: “33 [S2 E10] Marni – A Model Reunion”

A hard and honest conversation, but ultimately heart warming and joyful reunion between birth mother and adoptee. The episode walks you through three guiding principles for a successful family reunion.

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 in Time magazine 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?”

“A podcats on how to talk with your parents about searching for your birth family. The podcasts discusses how it’s mormal for adoptees to want to search, and the difficulties of allowing yourself to pursue that. “

Los Angeles Times: “‘I’m not allowed to feel those things’: How adoptees experience anti-Asian hate”

A New York Times article on the complex ways Asian adoptees experience anti-Asian hate and racism as a result of their unique identity. Many adoptees in the article speak of how they felt tied to both cultures and/or neither.

Adoptee Mentoring Society

Adoptee Mentoring Society is an online mentorship community that values adoptee power, intersectionality, and a healing community. They offer online group meetings between adoptees, and 1:1 mentorship. Prices range from $10-$55 per session.

NPR: “‘Am I Asian Enough?’ Adoptees Struggle To Make Sense Of Spike In Anti-Asian Violence”

In this NPR article, adoptee voices take center, and different adoptees explain their complex feelings regarding anti-Asian violence and the different ways in which they are affected.

The New York Times Magazine: “Why a Generation of Adoptees Is Returning to South Korea”

“A NYT article where a Korean adoptee explores the reasons and ways for South Korean adoptees to return to their birthplace. In addition to the article, there are 994 comments that provide anecdotes and first hand experiences and questions by adoptive parents and adoptees. “

Rhonda M. Roorda, MA

“Roordaa identifies as a transracial adoptee, and was adopted out of the New York system into a white American family. She has published multiple books on the Black American experience as an adoptee and is an international speaker that can be booked to speak. “

Adoptees On

“AdopteesOn is a Spotify podcast where adoptees discuss their lived experience in an open and vulnerable way. Episodes range from 40 min- 1 hr 30 min long. Here is a List of different articles, books, and artists referenced in the podcast, and what episode they can be found in. “

Who Am I Really?

” A podcast where adoptees of all different backgrounds discuss their adoption journeys and attempts at reunion with their biological families. Episodes are around 1hr long, and range from 30 min to 1 hr ½. “

Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington (AAAW)

Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington is a group dedicated to providing support to Asian adult adoptees in the state of Washington.They provide a welcoming community to new and current participants, a mentorship program for youth adoptees called the Adoptee Mentorship Program (AMP), educational opportunities for Asian/Pacific Islander adoptees, awareness of issues adoptees face, and allyship to adoptees of different nationalities and communities.

Adoption Surrogacy Choices of Colorado: “Understanding an Adult Adoptee’s Emotions”

This blog discusses the contradicting emotions some adoptees may face. It provides an introduction to the complex feelings adoptees can experience.

The Guardian: “Stories of transracial adoptees must be heard – even uncomfortable ones”

Korean-American adoptee Nicole Chung touches on the way adoptees are expected to fit into the framework of white supremacy and which emotions are considered acceptable for adoptees to have. She discusses her own experience with the phrase “a good adoptee.”

NPR: “Adoptees express their fear, anger and insight on race during social unrest”

A news article that spotlights adoptees of all backgrounds and adopted families, as they explain how their identity has been shaped by social unrest and the ways it has impacted their family dynamic.