What Is the Story of Value?
Explicit content warning
01/12/23 • 61 min
Join us for a heartfelt and deeply reflective conversation with Isaac Etter, father of a 22-month-old son (at the time of recording), Black domestic adoptee, activist, and founder of identitylearning.co. Isaac generously shares some of his adoption story with us, his journey into fatherhood, and his reflections on some of the more challenging and even taboo feelings that often come up for adoptees in parenthood, as well as growing compassion for his birth mother at the same time. We touch on the notion of “information poverty” several times throughout the conversation, to expand on the question, “what is the story of value?” in adoption, and how can we continue to challenge conventional adoption narratives as a community to honor our losses, our birth families, and our intergenerational legacies.
Isaac Etter Bio
Isaac Etter is an activist and social entrepreneur. Isaac was transracially adopted at the age of two. He is the founder of Identity, a startup focused on providing accessible, diverse, and ethical adoption and foster care education. Isaac has used his story of being adopted and growing up in a white world to curate deep conversations about race in America. With his unique insight on racial tensions between the white and black communities, they have been able to curate impactful conversations where everyone learns to value each other and their experience, while learning about systemic racism, privilege and their role in it.
Co-Hosts: Nari Baker & Robyn Park
Music: Mike Marlatt & Paul Gulledge
Editing: Federico aka mixinghacks
Artwork: Dalhe Kim
Listen on: iTunes & Spotify
Follow us Instagram: @laboroflovepodcast
Donate on Venmo: @laboroflovepodcast
Join us for a heartfelt and deeply reflective conversation with Isaac Etter, father of a 22-month-old son (at the time of recording), Black domestic adoptee, activist, and founder of identitylearning.co. Isaac generously shares some of his adoption story with us, his journey into fatherhood, and his reflections on some of the more challenging and even taboo feelings that often come up for adoptees in parenthood, as well as growing compassion for his birth mother at the same time. We touch on the notion of “information poverty” several times throughout the conversation, to expand on the question, “what is the story of value?” in adoption, and how can we continue to challenge conventional adoption narratives as a community to honor our losses, our birth families, and our intergenerational legacies.
Isaac Etter Bio
Isaac Etter is an activist and social entrepreneur. Isaac was transracially adopted at the age of two. He is the founder of Identity, a startup focused on providing accessible, diverse, and ethical adoption and foster care education. Isaac has used his story of being adopted and growing up in a white world to curate deep conversations about race in America. With his unique insight on racial tensions between the white and black communities, they have been able to curate impactful conversations where everyone learns to value each other and their experience, while learning about systemic racism, privilege and their role in it.
Co-Hosts: Nari Baker & Robyn Park
Music: Mike Marlatt & Paul Gulledge
Editing: Federico aka mixinghacks
Artwork: Dalhe Kim
Listen on: iTunes & Spotify
Follow us Instagram: @laboroflovepodcast
Donate on Venmo: @laboroflovepodcast
Previous Episode
Time Traveling to Befriend Grief
Angela Burlile, Korean adoptee, joins us for a very intimate conversation about her journey from considering adoption to pursuing IVF in Korea. We time travel together to discuss befriending grief, loss, longing and healing, and her courageous process to remove herself as the site for unlearning racism with her husband.
Angela Burlile Bio:
Angela (she/her) is a Korean adoptee currently living in Lynnwood, Washington with her partner Chris, and their dog Penny. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Angela returned to South Korea and spent six years teaching English. Returning to Washington in 2015, Angela pursued a Masters of Education degree with a concentration in environmental education, focusing on the intersections of identity, social justice, and environment. She currently works as facilitator and coordinator for an undergraduate conservation fellowship program at the University of Washington.
Co-Hosts: Nari Baker & Robyn Park
Music: Mike Marlatt & Paul Gulledge
Editing: Federico aka mixinghacks
Artwork: Dalhe Kim
Listen on: iTunes & Spotify
Follow us Instagram: @laboroflovepodcast
Donate on Venmo: @laboroflovepodcast
Next Episode
Research as Witness: Land Before Time, Annie, and Rethinking “Forever Family”
Today we sit down with Dr. JaeRan Kim, a fierce advocate, researcher, social worker, blogger and needle savvy knitter. Over many years, JaeRan has been very influential in the adoptee community through her academic publications and well-known blog, Harlow’s Monkey, where she connects transracial adoption to the larger forces of white supremacy, racism and colonization. She continues to be a vast resource for adoptees and adoptive parents alike. In this episode, JaeRan generously shares how she helped build her children's racial and cultural identities, critical thinking skills, and sensitivity to the lives and experiences of adoptees. She sheds light on which areas of adoption need more research and publication, and her commitment to fostering community connections among adoptees. Other poignant moments include JaeRan sharing about her singing the Annie Musical song “Maybe”to her child, and pushing back on the idea of adoptive families as always being a “forever family” for adoptees. Please find more of her incredible work at www.jaerankim.com and www.harlows-monkey.com, and her colleagues Rich Lee, Heewon Lee, and Xiang Zhou.
JaeRan Kim Bio
JaeRan Kim PhD, MSW, was born in South Korea and adopted to the United States in 1971. She has worked in foster care/adoption (both public and private), with at-risk young moms, and with adults with disabilities in residential care. JaeRan completed her PhD in Social Work at the University of Minnesota and was a Project Coordinator at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the School of Social Work. JaeRan is a recipient of the Title IV-E Child Welfare and LEND fellowships. JaeRan is currently Associate Professor and BASW chair in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University of Washington - Tacoma.
Co-Hosts: Nari Baker & Robyn Park
Music: Mike Marlatt & Paul Gulledge
Editing: Federico aka mixinghacks
Artwork: Dalhe Kim
Listen on: iTunes & Spotify
Instagram: @laboroflovepodcast
Venmo: @laboroflovepodcast
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