Adoptees Crossing Lines

Zaira

In this podcast I deconstruct the romanticism holding up the family policing industry and expose the lies, abuse, and pain that gets silenced. I'm here to unwrap the shiny bow around adoption and speak my truths as an adoptee. In doing so, I explain what it means and what it feels like to “come out of the fog”. This isn't your feel good podcast, I am an angry, healing and honest adoptee.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture
EducationEducation
Health & FitnessHealth & Fitness
Personal JournalsPersonal Journals
Self-ImprovementSelf-Improvement
Mental HealthMental Health

Episodes

The Role of Legal Advocacy in Family Reunification w/ Keshia Adeniyi
Jul 12 2024
The Role of Legal Advocacy in Family Reunification w/ Keshia Adeniyi
Send us a textKeshia The child welfare system is waging war on Black families, and Keshia Adeniyi-Dorsey is on the front lines. In this episode, she shares her journey from foster child to family defender, exposing the racist roots of CPS and the urgent need for change.Keisha breaks down her tactics for protecting families during CPS investigations, from refusing home entry to shutting down fishing expeditions. Her success rates are fantastic: 95.8% of parental rights protected and 93.7% of families reunified."We already know, and we've already done in the past, like, right? Like, took care of ourselves, we took care of everybody else's kids too, right? We don't need the system to do it." What we discussed (00:23) Meet Keshia Adeniyi-Dorsey(01:37) Adoptions and Safe Families Act(06:08) Reality of CPS investigations(12:17) Protecting families during CPS investigations(17:11) Reuniting 93.7% of families (23:46) Challenges of advocating for families OR Dealing with incompetence(28:56) We don’t need police for that OR The color of the system OR  Black families don’t need CPS OR We don’t need help OR Not everyone needs help(35:33) Affording counsel (43:39) Truth to powerLinksConnect with Keshia: Website | LinkedInFollow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com
Mila's Truth: Navigating Adoption, Liberation, and Community
Mar 22 2024
Mila's Truth: Navigating Adoption, Liberation, and Community
Send us a textMila's Truth: Navigating Adoption, Liberation, and CommunityThe Church does an excellent job of silencing you if you oppose them. They’d even hire a marketing company to rebrand adoption so that their business as adoption middlemen can continue to thrive. But, it’s not just the Church. The dominant culture is to silence anyone who speaks up against adoption. To make them feel shame. To gaslight them. That was Mila Konomos’ experience once she realized how adoption has wounded her. Mila tells her story of how she was forcibly removed from her family in 1975 to the realization in 2009 that everything she thought she knew about adoption was a lie. She discusses how reuniting with her biological parents changed everything, how similar she realized she was hto her bio parents, grappling with her identity, the power of speaking up,  and the cultural resistance against accepting the truth about adoption. Mila is the host of the podcast called Everything You Think You Know About Adoption Is A Lie.“If you don't change the narrative, then you can't change the policies.”What we discussed (00:22) Who is Mila Kanomos? (01:39) Being a (clueless) grateful adoptee (04:25) Realizing I’m actually wounded (06:00) “You had this information all of my life?!”(08:24) The Last Unicorn (12:55) Terrified of opposing adoption publicly (15:50) The Church is complicit (18:23) Propaganda around adoption (19:38) Surviving reunion (22:04) How do I become Korean?(25:39) Biological traits & connections(30:55) Everything you know about adoption is a lie(36:43) Church PAID to rebrand adoption (41:03) Centering adoptee narratives  (44:47) Adoption IS oppression (49:03) What can you do about this?(55:51) You already know who you areLinksEverything You Think You Know About Adoption Is A Lie PodcastChild Catchers by Catherine Joyce Connect with Mila: Instagram | Podcast Instagram Follow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com
My Journey to Abolition
Mar 8 2024
My Journey to Abolition
Send us a textMy Journey To AbolitionEvery adult in my childhood has failed me, none of them did what they’re supposed to. Every part of the system failed me…it did exactly what it’s supposed to. The system kills children and breaks families, it must be abolished. In this episode, I share how I gradually evolved towards this deep belief starting from a school trip to juvie when I was just 10. I talk about my encounters with the family policing system growing up and how it failed me. My story is not an is not an anomaly or an isolated incident. This is the experience of many children who are victims of the family policing system that they carry with them through adulthood. Abolition is a journey toward collective liberation, this is my journey so far… [CW: Sexual and Physical Abuse]What we discussed (00:22) Taking a trip to juvie at 10 years old(03:42) The system is NOT broken (04:42) [CW] Punished for speaking up about abuse   (07:30) Losing faith in adoption, police, and the system OR My first encounter with family policing system(10:32) Going to school with bruises on my arm OR “You had a really good school year because DCF did not show up at my door” OR DCF shows up, I’m a disappointment OR DCF gets me in trouble(16:41) My adopters’ public facade OR Where my skepticism started OR Losing respect for authority(19:10) Suffering through therapy (21:40) Who are they protecting? OR Abolition is the only option(25:54) The system doesn’t care about children [CW: school shootings] OR They let alligators eat black babies (true story)(31:45) My journey with queerness OR Queers in evangelical homes LinksLearn more about abolition: Alan Dettlaff Episode | Torn Apart by Dorothy Roberts Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System By Alan Dettlaff13th Documentary | The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Follow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com
Navigating Change: A Conversation with Josh Lamers, Co-founder of Collective of Child Welfare Survivors
Feb 23 2024
Navigating Change: A Conversation with Josh Lamers, Co-founder of Collective of Child Welfare Survivors
Send us a textJosh LamersAdoption is trauma. How do we help surviving children heal the wounds they’ve sustained from the child welfare system? Josh Lamers, a transracial adoptee, is public enemy #1 for child welfare agencies in Canada. He joins the show to discuss what adoption and child welfare are like in Canada; and how his organization, Collective of Child Welfare Survivors, advocates for child welfare survivors though addressing harm reduction, counseling, unpacking racial displacement, and community development…amongst many other things. “The child who's now back in your home is not the same child who was taken out of your home.” What we discussed (00:21) Who is Josh Lamers?(01:57) His transracial adoption experience OR “My adoption was illegal”(08:51) How child welfare works in Canada OR Adoption system in Canada (13:47) Insights from studying adoption OR What’s wrong with research about adoption(23:51) Psychiatric system and adoption (26:26) Disability and adoption (and why Josh’s adoption was illegal)(32:22) Myth of “unmanageable kids”(34:05) How they advocate for child welfare survivors (45:50) How to support child advocacy workLinksOutsiders Within Collective of Child Welfare Survivors: Donate Follow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com
Confronting the Racist Legacy of the Child Welfare System w/ Alan Dettlaff
Jan 25 2024
Confronting the Racist Legacy of the Child Welfare System w/ Alan Dettlaff
Send us a textConfronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare SystemIt was when Alan arrived at a home with the cops to remove a child and heard his mother say “Charles, run, they're coming to take you and they're going to sell you to the white people” that he realized how the trauma of slavery cannot be disentangled from the trauma of family separation. It was in this moment that he realized the harm he’s done to many families and decided to take a different path. Today, Alan Dettlaff is an abolitionist and co-founder of the upEND Movement. In this episode we explore the racist legacy of the child welfare system through discussing Alan’s book Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System: The Case for Abolition.What we discussed (00:23) Who is Alan Dettlaff? (01:35) Removing children from their families OR He was complicit(04:16) Why reforms don’t work (and what does)(08:32) Why the family policing system is racist(14:31) What’s wrong with mandatory reporting laws?(20:23) Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy (23:58) People wanted to end family separations previously (25:25) Everyday acts of abolition (that you can do)(31:55) Social workers and the abolitionist movement (35:06) “Run, they’re going to sell you to white people” OR Trauma of slavery vs. trauma of family separations  (38:19) Learning more from Alan DettlaffLinksAlan Dettlaff’s book: Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System: The Case for AbolitionUpend Movement: Donate | Podcast Torn Apart by Dorothy Roberts Abolitionist Perspectives In Social Work Follow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com
Unveiling Roots: The Journey of Gregory D. Luce, Attorney and Advocate for Adoptee Rights
Nov 10 2023
Unveiling Roots: The Journey of Gregory D. Luce, Attorney and Advocate for Adoptee Rights
Send us a textUnveiling Roots: The Journey of Gregory D. Luce, Attorney and Advocate for Adoptee RightsUs adoptees have to pay thousands of dollars and jump through hoops to unseal our records. This robs us of autonomy, dignity, and equality.  Gregory D. Luce is an attorney who helps adoptees all across the US go through this hurdle.In this episode we discuss Greg’s personal adoption journey that made him so passionate about adoptee rights. We also discuss the important work that he does around adoptee records through his organizations the Adoptee Rights Law Center and Adoptees United. What we discussed (00:22) Baby scoop era (03:07) Was never “in the fog”(05:14) Divorce of his adoptive parents (06:17) Pay $500 to find no records??(07:20) Finding his mom coincidentally (08:23) Establishing the Adoptee Rights Law Center (10:58) Inheriting his mom’s records and belongings (14:25) What restrictions are in YOUR state?(16:54) Adoption records issue for non-US adoptions and illegal adoptions(20:16) What are baby boxes?(21:52) Adoption after abolition (what will it look like?) OR You can’t end adoption(25:58) Why accessing adoption records matters(27:36) What do Adoptees United do? (31:30) Adoptee causes need MONEY(34:28) Future of adoptee rights (38:07) How to support Greg’s work LinksAdoptee Rights Law Center Adoptees UnitedDonate to Adoptees United Dorothy RobertsConnect with Gregory D. Luce: TwitterFollow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok
Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World
Oct 27 2023
Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World
Send us a textTorn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer WorldMore than anyone else, black women get their children kidnapped by the state, by the child “welfare system”. This episode is about the whys and hows of abolishing a system built to strip families away from their children. Through discussing Torn Apart by Dr. Dorothy Roberts, we examine the history and laws that have led to the birth of armed and violent social workers. We also explore the many opportunities around how transformative justice can save lives. “Hope is a discipline” - Mariame KabaWhat we discussed (00:23) Black women’s childbearing is devalued (04:29) What’s family policing?(07:21) Weaponising child removal (14:25) Alternative to the child welfare system?(19:03) A law that strips away black mothers’ rights, FAST(33:53) From adoption to murder-suicide(35:45) Armed social workers? (tragic family policing stories)(47:48) Is abolition helpful or harmful to children?(56:33) How to reimagine the systemLinksTorn Apart by Dr. Dorothy RobertsShattered Bonds We were once a family by Roxanna AsgarianJMACforFamiliesupEND MovementMovement for Family PowerConnect with Dr. Dorothy Roberts: TwitterFollow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com
Adoption Trauma, Mental Health, and Suicide Risk with Lina Vanegas
Sep 8 2023
Adoption Trauma, Mental Health, and Suicide Risk with Lina Vanegas
Send us a textLinaThough Lina Vanegas was born to a Colombian family, she was forced to assimilate as a white jewish person. 38 years later, she’s unable to fully connect with her bio family nor speak their language. Forced assimilation is trauma. Her mission is to educate people on adoption trauma. In the episode, she gives a crash course on why adoption is trauma, what to do if you want to adopt in a trauma-informed way, and how to go down the rabbit hole of being adoption-trauma informed. What we discussed (00:32) Can you make up for 38 years of loss?(05:08) Forced assimilation in childhood (07:11) Can’t speak my own language (09:14) Rescripting the narrative (10:31) If you’re thinking of adopting, do THIS.(20:05) Why she’s educating the public (24:42) Adoption is preventable trauma OR Mental health and adoption(28:07) Suicide among adoptees OR Why is adoption trauma? [EXPLAINED] (31:57) Intervention for adoptees (38:07) Finding an adoption-competent therapist [HOW-TO](42:00) Educate yourself(43:50) Connect with Lina VanegasLinksRescripting The Narrative PodcastAdopted From Colombia Facebook GroupDorothy Roberts researcherThe Child Catchers by Katherine JoyceConnect with Lina Vanegas: Instagram | Twitter Follow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com
Navigating the Complex World of Adoption: Unveiling Azriel June's Journey
Aug 25 2023
Navigating the Complex World of Adoption: Unveiling Azriel June's Journey
Send us a textNavigating the Complex World of Adoption: Unveiling Azriel June's JourneyThey were told they’re white. They aren’t. They were told they’re Jewish. They aren’t. They tried to erase her heritage over and over again. They couldn’t…so they “gave her back”. This is the story that explains how US adoptions human rights violations - they’re genocide. This is Azriel’s story - a transcultural adoptee from a loving first family who has been systemically preyed upon by the adoption industry. TW: Sexual Assault “The worst part about the secrecy was that I knew I was being lied to. And not by, you know, my friends or some girl in middle school or something, but by the people who were supposed to be my parents.”What we discussed (00:40) Azriel, an adoption abolitionist (01:27) A whole family traumatized by adoptions OR Azriel’s adoption story (06:02) Erasing my heritage OR No idea who I am…(08:32) Mindf*cked OR From someone’s garbage to someone’s blessing(11:26) Illegal adoption OR Renting me for my “cute” years OR Getting illegally adopted (12:52) My mom and grandma’s traumas(16:28) Is adoption generosity? OR Is adoption selfless? OR Is adoption a better life?(21:37) Living a literal lie OR Why am I not good enough to know the truth?(24:59) Why I think my adoption was illegal (27:52) What I wish they did instead OR 1 call would’ve changed my life(29:46) Becoming an abolitionist (31:10) Family policing is genocide (34:51) Community is lifesaving OR “Twitter was as angry as me” OR Community saved my lifeLinksFinding Cleo PodcastThis Land PodcastThe Girls Who Went AwayConnect with Azriel: TwitterFollow us on social media: Twitter | Instagram | TiktokCreditsSpecial thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at Drumaboyiglobal@gmail.com