In this episode of Adoption & Beyond, we sit down with Angela Tucker, a transracial adoptee, educator, and advocate, to discuss her journey growing up as a Black adoptee in a white family. Adopted through a closed adoption and raised in a predominantly white town in Washington, Angela always longed for connection to her roots but faced systemic barriers, including state laws requiring her to be 21 before accessing adoption records.
Angela shares how her perspective on transracial adoption evolved, particularly after leaving the "umbrella" of her white adoptive parents to attend college. She reflects on color evasiveness in adoption, the pressures of overachievement and people-pleasing, and the importance of listening directly to adoptees rather than allowing adoptive parents to speak for them—even into adulthood.
Through her work, Angela has created a virtual mentoring program to support adoptees and developed an inclusive family support model that emphasizes openness and authentic relationships between adoptees and birth parents. She discusses the need for white adoptive parents to actively cultivate anti-racist family environments and ensure that extended family members are also engaged in this learning.
For more information about Angela go to www.angelatucker.com or find her on Instagram @angieadopteeTo learn more about AFTH services you can go to www.afth.org or email us at adoption@afth.org
