I recently read a fantastic post on the Harlow’s Monkey blog which had many insightful reflections on adoptees working and belonging in the adoption community. Notably, how being raised in adoptee isolation often influences how we engage with the community, how there is no one person or organization that can serve the entire community, how we can hurt each other as we figure out how to work collectively and collaboratively, and how incredibly powerful we are when work together, support one another, and learn to manage working with people and groups who may not align with us 100%.
As someone who has worked in the adoption community for over 30 years, I echo all that JaeRan Kim, PhD, wrote. I welcome working together to strengthen our collective voice and power. In the last two months, Adoption Mosaic has had the honor to collaborate with other adoptee led organizations, groups, and projects such as Adoption Unfiltered, CAA (Chinese Adoptee Alliance), Adoptees United, The Inclusion Initiative, Reckoning With the Primal Wound, Healing Puentes and AireRoots.
As adoptee consciousness grows and the dominant narrative of adoption begins to change, it is imperative that we, adoptees, learn how to work together to uplift one another. Whether it’s mentoring someone about healthy boundaries, providing history and context to thoughts and ideas, or promoting the work and effort of others, I welcome this time of connection and collaboration and look forward to a new year of creating wonderful things in community with all of you.
