Birth Family Search

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.

Birth Family Search

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.

Adoptee Groups

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).

Birth Family Search

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.

Birth Family Search

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.

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.”

Race Education

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.”

Media

White Sugar Brown Sugar

A blog by a Christian mom about her adopted children. Although she doesn’t disclose names or faces out of respect, she describes her adoptions as domestic, transracial, and open

Media

NCFA: “Positive Practices in Transracial Adoption Parenting”

“In the article, an adoptee suggests parents bring up the topic of adoption first and work with their children to understand their feelings.”

Media

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).”

Resources