Love and Loss: Transracial Adoption and the Expectation of Gratitude

"To speak honestly about adoption is to hurt someone," Angela Tucker said while trying to articulate her life as a transracial adoptee.

Tucker, a Black woman, was adopted from foster care by white parents and grew up not knowing her biological parents. Being transracially adopted involves layers of rejection, loss, and complexity that go beyond a feel-good narrative; however, she grew up hearing people tell her, "You Should Be Grateful!" This well-intentioned remark mirrors the societal hope for adoption to be a perfect fairy tale ending for children.

In this conversation, Tucker will speak from her personal experience and draw from years of professional work in child welfare to explore the reality that transracial adoption often involves racism, classism, and identity development struggles, alongside love. The conversation will be guided by Larissa MacFarquhar, a staff writer for The New Yorker, who researched the history of adoption and the changing societal views in the essay Living In Adoption's Emotional Aftermath.

This free, public event also includes a film screening of Closure, a documentary about Angela Tucker’s journey to find and reunite with her birth family.

This event is sponsored by the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society.

Please note that this event is in-person only, and RSVPs are requested to attend. Walk-ins are welcome.