On Sunday, April 16th, the 1882 Foundation and friends gathered at the I Street Conference Center to convene a panel discussion on the experiences of Chinese adoptees. Panelists included MeMe Collier, Lina Freeman, Ren Freeman, and Mia Owens, 1882 Foundation program associate.
In the panel discussion, the four adoptees explored notions of family, community, language and culture, and identity and intersectionality. Mia and MeMe discussed the dually-layered experience of being a Chinese adoptee in the South, having adopted siblings, and how being an adoptee has played into their career choices. Sisters Ren and Lina discussed growing up in an interracial and LGBT household and how that shaped their view of family, adoption, and community. Ren shared some of the art pieces involved in her senior thesis at the University of Maryland, and how identity came to play a role in her work.
Full recording of the event is available below.
Special thanks to Brandon On who photographed this event.
