Amazing Adoption Speaker Opportunity!

Arizona Adoptive Families along with
Arizona Transracial Adoptive Families Proudly Present:
with nationally renowned author and speaker

Rhonda Roorda

Please join us for an informative afternoon with
one of the nation’s leading adoption advocates

Saturday, October 29th

2:00-3:30 pm - Feature Presentation
3:45-4:30 pm - Open Discussion/Q&A
4:30-5:00 pm - “Teen Talk” with Rhonda
(for both adopted & non-adopted teens ages 12+)
4331 North Central Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85012

Rhonda is coauthor of a groundbreaking and award-winning series of books on transracial adoption. These books are the first and only of their kind to follow white families who have adopted black and biracial children, listening to not only the adult adoptees who grew up in those families, but also to their parents and non-adopted siblings.

Rhonda’s first book, In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories, features interviews with twenty-four black and biracial children who were adopted into white families in the late 1960’s and 70’s. In this original collection, the author presents the personal stories of now-adult adoptees who hail from a wide range of religious, economic, political, and professional backgrounds and explores the effects of the adoption experience on their racial and social identities, adult lifestyles, and choice of friends and marital partners. In addition to the interviews, this book includes an overview of both the history and current legal status of transracial adoption.

The second book in the trilogy, In Their Parents’ Voices, presents firsthand accounts of these adoptees’ parents and their experience raising children across racial and cultural lines. Their candid interviews shed light on both the joys and challenges of their parenting efforts as well as illuminating the impact of race on their families’ day-to-day lives.

The final book, In Their Siblings' Voices, offers the compelling perspective of the non-adopted siblings in the transracial adoption equation. This thought-provoking read recounts the varied and often complicated experiences of white children living in multiracial households, including the reverberating effects on friends, school, and community. Additionally, it explores what (if anything) adoption professionals and agencies did to prepare these children for the inherent challenges of racially blended families and offers important insight into ways this process can be improved in the future.

Note: This October speaking engagement will include highlights from each of the books followed by a Q & A session. As parents or adoption professionals, it is difficult to comprehend the unique challenges facing both transracial adoptees and their non-adopted siblings. Rhonda’s passionate sharing of both her personal story and that of those featured in her books will provide critical insight into the keys to forming strong and healthy families…with children secure in their racial identity as well as their place in larger society.

Rhonda Roorda was raised in a white family with two white siblings in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Rhonda’s firsthand understanding of both the internal and external implications of transracial adoption provides the background for her work in today’s adoption arena. In addition to serving as international author and lecturer, Rhonda mentors fostered and adopted children and continues her role as an advocate for adoptive families.


Questions or comments? Please contact us at: aztaf150@yahoo.com