In this deep-dive conversation, April Dinwoodie sits down with Sullivan Summer, an independent scholar, poet, and adoptee rights advocate, to unpack the layers of the adoption experience. From the "luck" narrative to the realities of transracial adoption, they explore how media and pop culture shape our understanding of family. Sullivan shares her work with Adoptees for Family Preservation and her own podcast, Adoption Pop!, highlighting why disrupting traditional narratives is essential for authentic storytelling and systemic change.
The "Luck" Complex: Why the concept of being "lucky" in adoption is a double-edged sword that often obscures the loss inherent in the experience.
Media & Representation: How pop culture frequently misrepresents adoption, and how we can use those same tools to reclaim the narrative.
Transracial Dynamics: Navigating the intersection of race, privilege, and marginalization within adoptive families.
The Power of Community: Why adoptee-centered spaces are vital for support and advocacy.
The Business of Adoption: Understanding adoption as a $25 billion industry and the implications for family preservation.
00:00 Introduction and Community Connection
01:09 Exploring the Myth of "Luck" in Adoption
09:14 The Realities of Transracial Adoption
20:10 Misconceptions and Media Representation
37:30 Introducing the Adoption Pop! Podcast
49:05 Authenticity and Vulnerability in Storytelling
58:31 Closing Lessons: The Importance of Listening
Sullivan Summer is a domestic, transracial adoptee and a leading voice in adoptee rights advocacy. She is an independent scholar, critic, essayist, and poet whose work has been featured in various literary and academic outlets. Sullivan serves as the President of Adoptees for Family Preservation, a nonprofit dedicated to adoptee-centered storytelling, and hosts the Adoption Pop! podcast. Her 2025 chapbook, Performance Anxiety, was published by Black Sunflowers Poetry Press.
Connect with Sullivan:
Website: sullivansummer.com
Instagram: @thesullivansummer | @adoptionpoppodcast
Substack: Sullivan Summer on Substack
Podcast: Adoption Pop!
Nonprofit: Adoptees for Family Preservation
Produced by: April Dinwoodie & Kyle Ferreira
Engineered and Edited by: Kyle Ferreira
Theme Music: Kevin Lowther (aka Big Lux)
In this powerful tenth installment of How to Love a Transracially Adopted Person, host April Dinwoodie marks ten years of writing at the intersection of Valentine’s Day and Black History Month with a clear and urgent message: love without protection is no longer enough.
What began as a reflection on romantic love and adoption has evolved into something deeper — a reckoning with identity, loss, belonging, race, safety, and responsibility.
In this episode of Born in June, Raised in April, April examines the incomplete love narrative often attached to adoption and challenges the cultural myth that adoption is a simple, tidy love story. Drawing from her lived experience as a Black woman raised in a white family, she explores how love without truth creates fragility — and how love without protection creates harm.
April shares personal reflections on growing up deeply loved, yet not always protected from racial harm. She unpacks the emotional tension between gratitude and grief, belonging and rupture, and calls parents, professionals, and institutions into a more courageous understanding of what real love requires.
This episode is both personal and universal — a call-in to anyone who claims to love Black and Brown people, especially Black and Brown children.
Because in this moment, protection is not optional.
It is the measure of love.
adoption, transracial adoption, protective love, identity, race, belonging, grief, Black identity, family dynamics, racial justice, advocacy, parenting, adoption narrative, loss, responsibility
Adoption is not a simple love story — it is a complex human story that requires truth.
Gratitude and grief can coexist from the very beginning of an adopted person’s life.
Silence in the face of racial harm is not neutral.
Loving a Black or Brown child requires racial awareness and active protection.
Protective love requires courage, advocacy, and structural accountability.
Love that avoids truth is fragile; love that refuses protection is incomplete.
“Love without protection is no longer enough.”
“Silence is not neutral to a Black child.”
“Exceptional love is not safe.”
“Survival skills are not the same as protection.”
“Protection is not a statement. It is structure.”
00:00 Ten Years at the Intersection
03:40 The Incomplete Love Narrative of Adoption
12:15 Gratitude, Grief, and the Both/And
18:30 When Love Isn’t Connected to Protection
25:10 The Responsibility of Transracial Adoption
32:45 Protection as the Measure of Love
36:50 A Call-In to Parents, Leaders, and Institutions
In this episode of "Born in June, Raised in April," host April Dinwoodie reflects on the journey of the podcast as it celebrates its 10th season. Joined by executive producer Kyle Ferreira, they discuss the significance of the conversations held over the years, particularly those with April's parents, which have profoundly shaped her understanding of adoption and identity. April emphasizes the importance of having difficult conversations about adoption, grief, and family dynamics, highlighting how these discussions can foster deeper connections and understanding among families. The episode also touches on the unique framework of using the calendar as a tool for exploring adoption-related themes, allowing for a structured approach to discussing complex emotions and experiences.
Keywords:
adoption, identity, family, podcast, conversations, grief, family dynamics, communication, personal journey, calendar framework
Takeaways:
Conversations with my parents have been transformational.
It's important to communicate experiences of adoption and family separation.
Adoptive families can relate to feelings of being 'othered' in their own lives.
The calendar serves as a universal framework for discussing adoption.
Both joy and grief can coexist in adoption celebrations.
Sound bites:
"Conversations with my parents have been transformational."
"It's about integrity in a way."
"Sometimes you have to run towards the burning building."
Chapters
00:00 Celebrating 10 Years of the Podcast
02:01 Transformational Conversations with Family
12:40 The Calendar as a Framework for Adoption
18:34 Navigating Joy and Grief in Adoption
22:10 What Adoption Can Teach the World
Calendar Conversations Podcast
Together on the Journey
https://www.transracialjourneys.org/family-camp/
In this heartfelt conversation, host April Dinwoodie invites Dr. Anthony Hynes to explore what it means to break and remake traditions through the lens of adoption. Dr. Hynes reflects on childhood memories, evolving holiday practices, and the emotional complexity that often surfaces for adopted persons during the holiday season. He also shares insights from his work with children and families, emerging trends in the adoption and child-welfare landscape, and his experience in community at Together on the Journey Family Camp.
A grounded and intimate look at how traditions shape identity—and how we can recreate them with honesty, intention, and care.
In this November episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, April sits down with author, educator, and Late Discovery adopted person Melissa Guida-Richards (@adopteethoughts) for a grounding, honest, and deeply human conversation.
Fresh off co-hosting the Adoption Changemakers Conference, Melissa returns to reflect on the joys, challenges, and lessons learned from creating space within the adoption community—an effort that is meaningful, but not always easy.
As we close out National Adoption Awareness Month and move into a holiday season filled with memory, meaning, and complexity, April and Melissa explore:
The holiday tables Melissa grew up around as a Late Discovery adopted person
How those tables have evolved as she parents her own children
What it takes to intentionally set a holiday table that honors truth, identity, and connection
How we build community tables rooted in compassion, honesty, and inclusion
Why making space in community is vital—and why it can stretch us
This episode is an invitation to think about the tables you’re setting this season—literal and figurative—and how to make room for the fullness of your reality.
In this back-to-school episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, April Dinwoodie and podcast producer Kyle Ferreira get into a conversation about the powerful and often surprising questions April has received from students—both adopted and not—about adoption, identity, and belonging. From “What happens when someone is adopted an is mistreated?” to “Were you ever angry at your birth parents?” these honest questions open the door to conversations about family, race, mental health, and resilience for all children. April also offers five practical ways schools can better support adopted children and reminds us that when classrooms embrace difference, every child benefits.
This August, as we embrace the “Back to School” season of Continued Learning & Growth, I welcome two incredible young journalists, Ahna Fleeming and Libby Hobbs, for a conversation rooted in truth-telling, identity, and resilience.
After a painful racial slur was used toward me during a public process in my own town, I was searching for connection and healing. Around the same time, I read Ahna’s powerful New York Times article about a similar experience of being targeted by the very same word. When I reached out to her, she introduced me to her friend Libby, whose journey as a transracially adopted person born in China resonated deeply with both of our experiences.
Together, we explore:
How family, race, and adoption shape identity
Navigating racial harassment and finding our voices
The role of journalism in truth-telling and social change
The urgency of honest conversations in today’s climate
This episode is a reminder that our hardest moments can also be invitations to keep learning, keep growing, and keep finding ways to belong.
Referenced Articles:
Ahna Fleeming’s New York Times piece: "The Generations of Pain I Felt in One Racist Moment"
Steve Ahlquist’s reporting on my experience: "A Racial Slur Exposes the Deep Divisions in Westerly"
Connect with our Guests:
Ahna Fleeming
Instagram: @ahnafleming
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ahna-fleming
Libby Hobbs
Instagram: @libbyxhobbs
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabethxhobbs
Follow & Connect with April:
Website: www.juneinapril.com
Social: @juneinapril (all platforms)
YouTube: @AprilDinwoodie
In this special July episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, we explore the beauty and complexity of belonging—and the deep yearning for the freedom to be fully ourselves. I’m joined by my dear friend and creative collaborator Johnny Wright as we share space and vision around a new offering we’re bringing into the world—one created especially with Black and Brown youth in mind, particularly those growing up in White families and communities.
This conversation is about more than programs or plans—it’s about culture, care, and connection. It’s about hair and history, family and identity, and the ways we can braid love, legacy, and liberation into how we show up for ourselves and for one another. As we prepare to introduce this work in community for the first time, we hope you’ll join us in dreaming of a world where everyone has the freedom to belong—and to be.
In this deeply moving June episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, host April Dinwoodie welcomes back La Tika Jeffrey—youth advocate, mother, and lived expert in foster care and adoption—for a raw and inspiring conversation about the power of uncovering truth and forging new family connections.
Since her last visit back in December 2021, La Tika’s world has transformed in beautiful and complex ways. This episode follows her emotional journey to discover her father of origin after learning that the man she believed to be her biological father was not. With honesty and courage, La Tika shares how therapy, DNA testing, and deep personal work led to the unexpected reunion with her biological father—and the beginning of a meaningful relationship that now includes her children.
In this Mother’s Day episode, April Dinwoodie sits down with Stacey Gatlin—founder of Yes We Adopt—to explore Black adoption, parenting after loss, and building community that centers authenticity and healing. Stacey shares her path through infertility, post-adoption depression, and the creation of Yes We Adopt—a platform that uplifts Black adoptive families, adopted persons, and birth parents.
Together, they reflect on the power of community, the truth-telling needed in adoption spaces, and the mental and emotional load of mothering and leading out loud. A must-listen for anyone in the extended family of adoption or looking to parent with intention and care.
In April 2025 I sit down with Jeff Forney, a photographer specializing in advertising, music and celebrity portraiture. Jeff is currently working on “The Innocent People Project” - taking photos of adoptees and sharing their stories. In this episode we dive into the reasons behind starting this project, what it has meant to him and so much more!
In March 2025, I am so fortunate and honored to welcome some of the members of the Transracial Journeys Community, Co-Directors Mary Halm and Karen Thomas. We dive into this idea of luck in adoption and the blessings and burdens that come along with this experience. We also hear from one of the Board of Directors of TRJ, and adoptive parent, Michelle Daray. There are so many incredible gems in this one! For any member of the adoption community, this is a must listen episode.
In February 2025, I give you the 9th installment of How to Love a Transracially Adopted Person. In this part of the series I am joined by someone who, for the past year, has been on this journey with me in the most personal way: my boyfriend, David Sutphen. While he wasn’t adopted, he has personal connections to adoption and knows what it’s like to be part of a blended family. These experiences, I believe, have shaped his identity, his sense of belonging, and his capacity to love me, a transracially adopted person. Join us as we talk about connections in adoption, identity, and love. I also humbly share a very personal example of how my default setting of abandonment played out following a very special birthday trip with David.
For many adopted persons, the journey to understanding identity and belonging is filled with complexities, questions, and the need for community. In this episode, host April Dinwoodie is joined by Tracie Carlson, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and fellow adopted person, to explore how growing up adopted shaped their identities and how finding community became essential to their journeys. From the experience of being "chosen" to the emotional realities of searching for family, April and Tracie discuss what it means to be truly seen and supported. They reflect on the both/and of adoption, the power of connection, and how creating spaces of belonging can change lives—not just for adopted persons, but for the world.
Host April Dinwoodie sits with producer Kyle Ferreira to discuss how holiday traditions have evolved over the years. April also shares thoughts about the baby in the manger, the nativity and the “Holiday Miracle” as it relates to adoption.
In November 2024, host April Dinwoodie sits with Producer Kyle Ferreira to talk about the both/and of her holiday table. April also shares helpful tips for transracially adopted persons when it comes to the holiday season.
In October 2024, Host April Dinwoodie sits with producer, Kyle Ferreira to talk about the idea behind code switching and wearing masks as it relates to a transracialy adopted persons experiences. We also hold space for April as her birthday approaches later this month.
This month host April Dinwoodie sits down with producer Kyle Ferreira to talk about the recent Transracial Journeys Camp that April is involved in each year and how beneficial this camp is to building confidence and clarity around some of the more difficult aspects of transracial adoption.
As the school year kicks off, host April Dinwoodie sits down with producer Kyle Ferreira to have a conversation about language as it relates to expressing experiences of adoption. In this episode, April breaks down the reasons for why she refers to her self as an “Adopted Person”. And why she refers to her parents as either “Parents of Origin” or “Parents of Experience”.
With July 4th as a backdrop, this month, producer Kyle Ferreira and host April Dinwoodie have a conversation about thoughts and experiences surrounding freedom and independence. We also discuss representation and the impact VP Kamala Harris.
This month, for Fathers’ Day, I sit down with my producer to have a conversation about my thoughts and emotions at the intersection of adoption and Fathers’ Day.
This month, just after Mothers’ Day, I sit down with my producer to have a conversation about my thoughts and emotions as it relates to adoption and Mothers’, mothering, and Mothers’ Day
In this episode, host April Dinwoodie shares her very personal journey of sadness, grief, and loss connected to adoption and family separation.
In honor of Women’s History Month for March 2024, I share how four women, four mothers who never knew each other helped shape my understanding of the many women connected to adoption.