For individuals who identify as transracial adoptees, the impact on various areas of their lives can vary widely. Some may feel a significant impact across multiple aspects, including cultural identity, sense of belonging, and family dynamics. Others might experience a more nuanced influence, with certain areas of their lives being more affected than others.

At this Fireside Chat, guest speakers will discuss how their identity as transracial adoptees has impacted their lives.

Please join us for a {virtual} Fireside Chat moderated by Angela Tucker, where guest speakers will share about their experiences as adopted people.

Angela Tucker is the founder and Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. Her debut book, "YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL: Stories of Race Identity, and Transracial Adoption," is available now! Over the past decade, she has mentored over 200 adoptees.

Our guest speakers for this Fireside Chat are:

• Ilbersalle (he/ him), born in Haiti and internationally and transracially adopted to the United States in the 1980's. He is an adoptee advocate, an avid (amateur) fisherman, single father, part-time cinephile, full-time chef, and champion of all things AMS.
• Katie (she/ her), born in Santiago, Chile and was adopted at 3 months old. She is a full-time photographer and entrepreneur, currently living with her sweet puppy, Olivia, in Atlanta, GA.  
• Q (she/ her), a transracial adoptee born in Bulgaria and adopted at the age of 2.5. Q was raised as an only child and grew up being told she should be proud to be adopted. After years of self work, she's living by her own narrative and finding community where she feels seen.
• Trish (she/ her), a corporate Instructional Designer and Professional Speaker as well as a retired Paralympian. She is a disability inclusion advocate and author of two books. Trish lives in Denver, CO and spends her free time reading, participating in recreational sports, enjoying her two cats, and traveling with her husband.

Audience members are welcome to come with questions for the guests. The Adoptee Mentoring Society has signed the Ethical Storytelling Pledge and works hard to ensure the guest speakers don't leave feeling overexposed, used or harmed in any way. To ensure this our moderator carefully monitors all questions, answers, and/ or comments for the following:

• Does the story reinforce harmful stereotypes or stigmas about a social issue or the people who are affected by it?
• Do we have the person’s consent to tell their story, for this purpose and in this medium?
• Whose needs and desires are at the center of how the story is presented, the person whose story it is or the audience for the story?
• What will happen to the person after their story is told in this way? Could it cause them harm?

The suggested donation for this event is $10. All donations benefit the work of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.