This event is intended to create a safe space for discussion. We are highlighting four transracial adoptees for a frank conversation around how the Black Lives Matter movement impacts Black and Brown adoptees raised in the United States. As a community of adopted persons, we are uniquely positioned to engage in nuanced conversations about racial identity.
In order to keep this event safe and secure, we ask that all participants RSVP via the Google Form. On the day of the event, we will cross-reference the RSVP list with the Zoom waiting room: you will not be admitted into the Zoom meeting unless you are on the RSVP list! The event information will be emailed closer to the date, so please keep an eye on your inboxes!
*This event is open to the Also-Known-As, Inc. community and friends.
Registration: Required via Google Form (link in details and below)
https://forms.gle/vQrSLnKFkuExpsDJ8
1. April Dinwoodie is a transracially-adopted person, a nationally recognized thought leader on non-traditional and multiracial families. She is the former Chief Executive of the Donaldson Adoption Institute, the founder of Adoptment -- a mentoring program that matches foster youth with adopted adults, and hosts “Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World” a podcast about adoption, identity, and family. As an inclusion and diversity expert, April works with families, corporations, non-profit organizations, schools, and other government agencies to support the healthy identity development of all children and young people.
2. Milton Washington: Adopted from South Korea at the age of eight in 1978, Milton has settled in Harlem to run his visual development company to help companies grow through visually telling their stories. In the spirit old Harlem, he’s also a bit of a Renaissance Man amassing a large body of work in photography, notably published in the New York Times and Food & Wine Magazine. He also works with words. His upcoming memoir, Slickyboy is expected to be published in 2021. His newest endeavor is the founding of a revolutionary fitness system called, ROKMIL FITNESS where a series of movements build strength, develop flexibility while providing cardio and conditioning, resulting in help alleviating joint pain and improved coordination, rhythm and balance; all around the centerpiece of the system, the African stool, called the ROK.
3. Marcus Schmidt is a transracially adopted person. Originally born in Silver Springs, MD, Marcus was adopted by a family in California were he primarily grew up before relocating to the East coast for college. After college, Marcus reconnected with his biological family and found his experience valuable in helping younger adoptees process their experiences. Marcus is currently a mentor for Adoptment and enjoys contributing to the personal development of inner-city youth who have been adopted or are in foster care.
4. Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker is a licensed psychologist, international/transracial adoptee from India, and transracially adoptive parent specializing in adoption, trauma, attachment, and racial identity work through her private practice in Denver, Colorado. She is a frequent speaker and trainer at adoption agencies, camps, and conferences throughout the U.S., and is the author of “The Adoptee Self-Reflection Journal,” as well as the creator of the National Adoptee-Therapist Directory. Learn more about the services and educational resources she offers at link below: www.growbeyondwords.com