Reflections in Real Time

Awakened by Adoption: History, Trends and the Voices That Matter

This blogpost explores the hidden history of adoption in the U.S. and its deep ties to race, class, and power. By uncovering these truths, we invite you not only into a deeper understanding of the systems shaping our families, but als...

When Awakening Feels Like Betrayal

After a hard conversation with their child—one of those moments that lands like a quiet earthquake—a parent found themselves haunted by a single phrase:

“You’re not the villain… but you’re definitely not the victim.”

That sentence rang through their heart li...

Adoption doesn’t begin with love.

It begins with loss.
And sometimes, even earlier, it begins with violence.

Not every baby is conceived in safety.
Not every pregnancy is chosen.
Some children begin their lives in the aftermath of rape, coercion, addiction, abandonment.
Some grow in wombs heavy wi...