Hello Also-Known-As Community!
I hope that you all are enjoying the welcome of a new season. I have been thinking extensively about community celebrations and ways that moments in time can bring people together. As adoptees, learning more about our cultural backgrounds and celebrations our ancestors may have observed dating back thousands of years can sometimes bring up complex feelings. I hope that we each can honor the duality of these weighted emotions if they come up for you, while also celebrating our progress as we journey through life.
As I write this, it is Hispanic Heritage Month, the start of Mid-Autumn Festival, Chuseok, and Tết Trung Thu, and by the time this is delivered to your inbox, Indigenous Peoples’ Day will have just passed. The strength of this community comes from within each and every one of you. While our international adoption country of origin and racial identity may differ, our vulnerability in sharing, the diversity in our experiences, and being collectively together is what will continue to propel us and unite us.
In many of these holidays and moments, if you so choose, I hope you are able to take a moment to reflect, inquire, admire those you care about, and gather them around you, whether it be your chosen family, adoptive family, or biological family.
We hope to see you at some of our programming in the near future!
In partnership,
Lindsay Geier AKA 涂婷
Return of the Results Community Conversation: Thursday, October 12th.
Adoptee Community, please join us for the second Return of Results Community Conversation where Hollee McGinnis, MSW, PhD (Also-Known-As's Founder) will discuss findings focused on Racial and Adoptive Identity and Discrimination across the Life Course from her research study. This is a safe community space for adoptees to listen, learn and engage. What: Return of Results Community Conversation: Racial and Adoptive Identity and Discrimination Across the Life Course: MAP: Mapping the Life Course of Adoption Project When: Thursday, October 12 from 8:00-9:30PM ESTWho: Adoptees Only Where: Virtual Event (Register Here) Presented by: Boston Korean Adoptees, in sponsorship with National Center for the Rights of the Child Co-Hosted by: Also-Known-As, Inc., in partnership with IKAA, AKA-SF, KaTCH, AAAW
The air is getting crisp and leaves are getting crunchy. Join us on Saturday, October 14th as we venture up to Cold Spring, NY for a group hike on the Bull Hill Short Loop. With many beautiful overlooks of the Hudson Valley, this trail isn’t one to miss. Afterwards we will indulge in sweet treats from MooMoo’s Creamery in the heart of Cold Spring.
Date: Saturday October 14, 2023 (rain date: Sunday, October 15th)
Time: Hike begins at 11:00am
Location: Washburn Trail on Bull Hill Parking Lot (3011 NY-9D, Cold Spring, NY 10516)
RSVP: Yes. RSVP here by Friday 10/13
Happy Hour: Thursday, October 26th.
You asked, we answered!
Coming off the success of our September kickoff happy hour, we’re sneaking in another opportunity to come together with friends old and new!
Grab your favorite fall beverage with us on 10/26 at Jackdaw (don’t miss happy hour specials ’til 7pm + their full menu)
All are welcome! Look for our reserved tables in the back. (Newcomer? Ask for a board member to help make some intros!)
Save-the-Date'Adoptee X Parent’ Event - Wednesday, November 8th. The holiday season is quickly approaching, which means family time for some, but not all. The topic of ‘family’ can conjure up a lot of mixed emotions for adoptees and parents of adoptees. On Wednesday, November 8th at 6pm, we will be hosting a unique event that will create an arena for adult adoptees and parents of adoptees to practice difficult conversations and ask questions that may have been burning their minds throughout the years. This event will be an intimate, SAFE space where adoptees and adoptive parents are partnered 1-on-1 in a round robin style, and will have the opportunity to tackle topics they may not normally feel comfortable bringing up with family members. This event is open to adult adoptees and adoptive parents only via RSVP form. Space will be limited.Annual Holiday Party - Friday, December 8th. Mark your calendars for one of our most anticipated events of the year. Our Annual Holiday Party will take place on Friday, December 8th. This event is not one to be missed! Stay tuned for more details. Community NewsHealing Arts Retreat for Transracial AdopteesAdoptee Healing Arts offering a Healing Arts Retreat for Transracial Adoptees in honor of November’s National Adoption Month. It will be a weekend of holistic healing through MindBody Movement, Reiki and Creative Writing in New York City. And specifically designed to support the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness of transracial adoptees. Together, we will voice our stories, find our authentic selves and heal together as a community. For more information and registration, please click here. KAAN Community Conversation: Call for ProposalsKAAN 2024 seeks session proposals that explore the ways in which adoptees are represented and visible in all areas of life, including, but not limited to, research, media, art, books, politics, etc. The theme calls for sessions that explore what it means to be “represented” and what it means to be “visible” in daily life at the personal and societal level. For more information, please visit https://www.wearekaan.org/.
Interested in volunteering for Also-Known-As?
Please fill out this survey to join our volunteer mailing list and let us know what skills you have and what areas you would be interested in helping sustain our organization.