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[Spring Summit] Racialized: The Cultural Impact on Native American Transracial Adoption

March 11 @ 2:15 pm - 3:45 pm

Free

Rarely discussed are the problematic issues that arise in the child who is adopted from one ethnicity/culture and placed into another, especially if that placement revolves around race. My experience as an anthropologist and Native American transracial adoptee allows me to speak directly about the negative pressure we encounter as we attempt to navigate the two cultures we inhabit. We will explore the tensions through the lens of cultural anthropology, including issues if belonging/non-belonging, what we have gained/lost by living in a racialized world, as well as how Americans are taught to ‘see’ Native Americans and how those negative images impact us. What the audience will learn is that the racialized environment the child lives in can have long-lasting negative impacts, far into their adulthood, and ways they can work in their communities to combat the racism, while standing up for their child.

 

Susan Devan Harness is a cultural anthropologist, member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and an American Indian Transracial Adoptee.

Her book Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption has received multiple awards including the High Plains Book Award for Indigenous Author and Creative Nonfiction categories, as well as the Sudler Award for the best work of nonfiction or fiction on western American subject by a woman author.  Ms. Harnesses cultural anthropology research, Mixing Cultural Identities Through Transracial Adoption, was published by Edwin Mellen Press.

Her most recent writing appears in the anthology, When We Become Ours, published by HarperCollins, and Philosophies of Adoption: Perspectives and Reflections, which will be published by Lexington Press in 2024.

Ms. Harness has spoken both nationally and internationally on the topic of American Indian transracial adoption, as well as appeared in various media including podcasts, public radio, and on the TEDxMileHigh stage.  She holds MAs in Anthropology and English, both from Colorado State University, where she is an affiliate of the Department of Anthropology and Geography.

Ms. Harness lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, Rick, her Golden retriever, Max, and a beautiful vegetable garden.

Other

Registration is required
Yes
Regions served:
All Regions, North West, North Central, North East, West Central, East Central, South West, Metro, South East
Encouraged to attend
Foster Parents, Kinship/Foster/Adoptive Parents, Pre-Adopt Parents, Professionals
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