Welcome to A Birth Project!
in 2005, this blog began with a two-pronged focus. One – a place to share the dynamics of my personal search for my birth family and Two – as a place to consider my experiences as a Black girl adopted by white parents, ‘my life as a TRA’ – a transracial adoptee.
Its been a wild ride – if you read this blog from the beginning you’ll find my birth parents WITH me and see my continued struggles as I go through this crazy process of search and reunion.
As all of this has been developing, I’ve moved the focus of this project to include my academic research, creative expression and general examination and support of transracial/international adoptee life and experience.
Adoption discourse – disconnection from family, exile from natal relationships, transfer to a new, foreign setting all resonate so similarly with the forced migration histories of the larger African Diaspora. The adoptions of black children in the U.S. both domestically and internationally cannot help but be tainted culturally and racially by the history and legacy of the global slave trade. Negotiating these histories, and finding space for healing and growth is a part of this project.
My additional hopes for this blog are to contribute to a discussion not only about race, gender and adoption, but to the conversation about how the lives of transracial adoptees can be a site through which the search for identity in the African Diaspora can be examined.
Please consider checking out The Welcome Post and start with some of the early archives and I would love to hear from you!
AP’s – I want to refer you to a fellow TRA’s website – Harlow’s Monkey – “What AP’s need to know before reading this blog”.
If you are a Black/African/Caribbean/AfroAsian/Mixed TRA or foster care alumni anywhere across the globe – Please consider joining AFAAD’s email list for adoptess only. Represent! This list is specifically for adult same race and transracially adopted people looking for somewhere to share and discuss our personal experiences in a space away from judgment of those who would deem us ungrateful, angry or complaining. It IS possible to have a complex experience and love your parents and family while remaining critical of the system of adoption. Please email afaadinfo (at) gmail.com for more info.
(If you are not an adoptee – but are an AP (adoptive parent), adoption professional or other supporter of AFAAD’s work – please email AFAAD and we invite you to our supporters list)
transracial adoption, adoption, black adoptee, african adoptee, african adoption,
A Birth Project 
Hi, I’m the AP of an amazing mixed (black/white) child who has recently been diagnosed as having “severe ADHD, possible Asperger’s Syndrom and severe social/emotional issues.” My husband and I (both of whom are white) have a strong team in place to address the needs of the ADHD, social/emotional/Aspergers issues (hopefully without resorting to drugs). We are now attempting to find the best support groups and resources regarding TRA as we journey with our son down this challenging road. I’d love to hear back from you. I’m more than a little bit overwhelmed, as well as unfamiliar with the blog world. I would love to hear back from you. Thanks, xoxoxox