Exploring the Complexities of Adoption: Luck, Lore, and Pop Culture with Sullivan Summer

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. Key Takeaways 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. Chapters 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 About the Guest 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 Podcast Credits 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. Keywords adoption, transracial adoption, protective love, identity, race, belonging, grief, Black identity, family dynamics, racial justice, advocacy, parenting, adoption narrative, loss, responsibility Takeaways 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. Sound Bites "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." Chapters 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 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/calendar-conversations-a-guide-for-adoptive-parents/id1728489802   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.

This October, we're going Behind the Mask — looking at what we hide, what we reveal, and how adopted people learn to show up as their full selves. April sits down with Melissa Guida-Richards — adopted person, author, and creator of the Adoption Changemakers Conference — to talk about authenticity, culture, and the importance of real connection in the adoption community. Together, they explore what it means to unmask, how to hold space for nuance, and where joy and healing live in this work. Follow Melissa Guida-Richards on social media @adoptee_thoughts and visit adoptee-thoughts.com for details about the Adoption Changemakers Conference. Follow April Dinwoodie on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter) @JuneInApril, on YouTube @AprilDinwoodie, and visit JuneInApril.com to keep the conversation going.  

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. Content Note: After the closing credits, April and Kyle have a brief discussion about school shootings.

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.   Show Notes & Links 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.