Hello Also-Known-As Community!
We’re back and more excited than ever to kick off this upcoming 2024-2025 term of programming and initiatives for our wonderful Also-Known-As family. To those who I haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet, my name is Lindsay Geier (aka 涂婷) (she/her). I’m really looking forward to stepping into my second year serving as President alongside an incredible Board of Directors to build a culture of inclusion and belonging where our community members can feel more seen, heard and valued.
As our organization and members continue to grow and expand, our hope this year is to continue to ideate, understand and partner to curate impactful programming both for you and with you. During our 2023-2024 term, we had 44 events, attended and had presence at 6 conferences, and collaborated with 34 different adoptee leaders, scholars, organizations or external partners across a multitude of initiatives. These events wouldn’t be possible without our incredible community’s participation. We’re proud to have welcomed 60+ new members since the 2024 calendar year began; and we hope to see both new faces and familiar faces alike soon! Thank you to those who have already provided feedback for how we can work to enhance your experience for this upcoming year. We welcome ongoing feedback here.
As we embark on our 29th year together, we hope to continue to build, empower and transform collectively. This year we will be focusing on:
Wishing those who acknowledge and celebrate a Happy Hispanic Heritage Month, Mid-Autumn Festival, Chuseok, and Tết Trung Thu. We look forward to being in community with you soon!
Best,
Lindsay Geier (President), Sara Crayne-Dedrick (Vice President), Mark Fermi (Treasurer), Joseph Pinney (Secretary), Emily Flynn, Andrew McFarland, Katie O'Donnell, Emma Barr and Adam Goodman
Kick-Off Happy Hour: Tuesday, September 10th
🍹🎉 Get ready to kick off the season with a bang! Join us for the first Happy Hour of the season at Counter & Bodega as we gear up for Hispanic Heritage Month! 🎊
📅 Date: Tuesday, September 10th
🕕 Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
📍 Location: Counter & Bodega (216 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011)
Enjoy irresistible Happy Hour deals:
🍻 $5 Beers 🍷 $6 Sangrias 🍇 $7 Wine
This event is for our community members 21+ — let’s raise a glass to good times and great company! 🍷💃🎶 See you there!
Have you seen adoption portrayed in the media? What did you think of its portrayal? Has it had an affect on your mental health? From famous adoptees like Simone Biles or Lana Condor, films with adoption themes (e.g. Joy Ride, Lion, Kung Fu Panda), viral anti-adoption TikTok videos, to investigative news reports about falsified agency documents, adoption has gotten plenty of media attention over the last several years. This forum will address adoption in the media and its relationship to mental health.
EVENT DATE: Thursday, September 26th
TIME: 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: To be Announced. Please refer to our Instagram page for updates.
WHO: Adoptees Only
RSVP: RSVP Here
COST: Donation Suggested
Community News
China Ends International Adoption Programs
In light of China’s recent decision to end its international adoption programs, we want to recognize and acknowledge the profound impact this may have on the members of our community. Our organization is processing this transition with great care and sensitivity, holding space for the feelings and reflections that arise. Our focus remains on the well-being of all international adoptees and we will continue to provide guidance and support as we navigate these changes together.
For more information and news coverage on this topic, please refer to the following articles from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and ABC News.
Adoptee Film Fest: Submissions Extension
The Adoptee Film fest aims to Establish the need for adoptee centered adoption narratives by adoptees in film, media and entertainment. They have extended their submission deadline to September 9th at 11:59pm. Register here for notification on when tickets go live.
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.