Grab a snack and favorite beverage, turn on your computer, and sit back to enjoy a beautiful hour of BIPOC adoptee voices, community, and Palestinian solidarity.
- Date: Sunday, August 30
- Time: 3-4pm PST / 6–7pm EST
- Cost: Minimum $5
- Format: Virtual
The Zoom link will be sent a day or two before the event; closed captions will be enabled. This will NOT be recorded or distributed.
AUTHORS
Harmony is the creator of Mixed as a Whole, a space dedicated to exploring the complexities of identity, adoption, recovery, and belonging. Through writing, art, music, and storytelling, she brings together the many pieces of her experience to create something whole.
Jennifer Dyan Ghoston is a Black, same-race, domestic foster alum and adoptee in contact with both sides of her biological family. After a 27-year career in law enforcement with the Chicago Police Department, she retired in 2014 as a police detective in the violent crimes section. In 2015, she self-published her memoir, "The Truth So Far...a detective's journey to reunite with her birth family". She credits her spiritual journey that started over forty years ago for allowing her path to unfold in unexpected and meaningful ways. In 2021, Jennifer's continued efforts to be open, honest, and public about her lived experience while holding space for other members of the constellation (centering the adopted person) has led to hosting the podcast, "Once Upon A Time...In Adopteeland" available on all platforms for free.
Born in Los Angeles County and raised in Orange County, Koko Shaw, is a same-race Black adoptee, mother, and mental health professional with over ten years of experience in public health crisis intervention. As a Professional Clinical Counselor, she integrates her deep clinical expertise with a fierce passion for ancestral guidance, neuroscience, and systemic change. She is the Founder and CEO of the Black African Diaspora Adoptee Network (BADAN), where she uses her voice to bring conscious awareness to the historical trauma of adoption and disrupt the adoption industrial complex. Known to her community as the creator behind @theblackadopTEA, she is lead by her ancestors to speak truth to power, offering a vital space for somatic healing, education, and collective liberation for all adoptees.
***You can buy their books at the BIPOC Adoptees online bookshop.***
MEET THE FAMILIES
Tamara Abu Dayer and the Abu Dayer Family: The Abu Dayers are from Jabalia, a densely populated refugee camp in northern Gaza that has been destroyed. They have been displaced numerous times during the genocide, and thier large family has been separated to various locations. Over the past year, Tamara has become one of our closest dearest friends. To learn more about Tamara and life under occupation, here is a zine that Lisa MM Butler made to illustrate Tamara’s experience. Also, read Joon Ae’s essay, “A Debt of Gratitude” that connects Korean adoption to Palestine. Click HERE for her main fundraising page and consider setting up automatic monthly donations for sustained support.
Nida was a 23-year-old student - about to complete her degree in computer engineering - when her home was bombed. A home she shared with her parents and 6 younger siblings. After the bombing, Nida's father was taken hostage by the Israeli occupation and has yet to be heard from or released. Nida's mother suffers from chronic health conditions - made worse by the occupation's denial of food and medication in Gaza. Nida promised her father she would care for her siblings and she carries this burden alone. Her family relies on the support of others outside of Gaza to survive. Check out this cartoon that Lisa made to help amplify Nida’s story! Here is Nida’s main fundraiser page.
Stay tuned on our Instagram pages. This series goes all the way through the end of November! We will announce upcoming dates and authors when they are confirmed. Thank you!!!!
HOSTS
Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka and Lisa MM Butler
Contact Joon Ae with questions at joonae@ajumamaworkshop.com