Save the Dates: Adoptee Rights Town Hall

We’ll kick off two town halls with a check-in and overview, followed by discussion of the state of adoptee rights today. How has COVID-19 impacted us and our lives in the last nine months? What are we doing to cope? What are we expecting as issues for adopted people in the near future, particularly Black adoptees and adoptees of color? How are politics playing out and where is the place for adoptee rights work in an increasingly fractured political space? Topics will include intercountry adoptee rights and citizenship, the intersection of the Black Lives Matter movement and adoption, and rights to original birth certificates and adoption-related documents. Questions will be solicited in advance and during the town hall.

The election on November 3 will likely change the direction of the country and impact many lives—but how? After spending nearly two weeks going over our discussion from October town hall and breaking down the election results (or agonizing over a lack of results), we’ll discuss what adoptee rights may look like in the coming years. What are our priorities and what issues can we tackle successfully? How do we do it within a new political framework? Who is now in power and what does that mean for us, our loved ones, and adoptee rights generally, whether domestic or intercountry? Up for discussion are U.S. citizenship issues for intercountry adoptees (and whether the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2019 is still viable), legislative priorities for adoptee rights and OBCs, and how to be strong allies for those continuing with anti-racism work and civil rights issues, particularly within adoption.