Episode 76: Angela Tucker - What to Know About Transracial Adoption

Thinking of adopting? Are you an adoptee? Then this episode is for you. Jennifer Norman is joined by author, producer, and cultural commentator Angela Tucker to discuss transracial adoption and the adoptive experience. While adopting a child into your family can be a beautiful experience, Angela makes the case for ensuring family roots remain intact. Angela is a Black woman adopted from foster care to whiteparents. Her debut book, You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race Identity, and Transracial Adoption has received wide acclaim. Angela is the Founder and Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society, and she is the subject of the documentary Closure, a movie that chronicles her search for her biological parents. Angela has appeared on CNN, Al Jazeera, The Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith, in The New Yorker, and has consulted for renowned shows like Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill and NBC’s This Is Us.

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Timestamps:

0:23 - Welcome and Introduction
0:39 - Angela's Adoption Story  
1:57 - Impact of Adoption on Identity
5:14 - Transracial Adoption Dynamics
8:42 - Importance of Knowing Biological Origins
14:59 - Adoptee's Relationship with Birth and Adoptive Parents
21:00 - Biases in the Adoption System
27:30 - Trauma and Mental Health in Adoption
33:18 - Finding Community as an Adoptee
39:22 - Angela's Work Advocating for Adoptees

Angela's Links:

• Website: https://www.angelatucker.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Angieadoptee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angieadoptee
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/theadoptedlife
• Book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/you-should-be-grateful-stories-of-race-identity-and-transracial-adoption-angela-tucker/18675662?aid=90270&ean=9780807006511&listref=adoption-568f9f59-8dd5-40b5-a2eb-1d1d531b9126

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Jennifer Norman Links:

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• Medium https://jennifer-norman.medium.com/