From June 19-21, 2026, I had the privilege of representing Adoption Network Cleveland (ANC) at the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) conference in Denver. Since returning, I’ve been reflecting on all that I have learned from Korean Adoptee community leaders, and the hope I feel for continued growth and transformation within transnational adoptee communities.
While KAAN was originally founded to serve Korean adoptees and their families, the organization has thoughtfully evolved over time to meet needs beyond its initial scope. Korean adoptee scholars and advocates have paved the way in the pursuit of truth, justice, and reparations. The ongoing Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in Korea are just one example of the advocacy efforts Korean adoptees have united around to seek accountability and healing.
It was an honor to attend the KAAN Leadership Summit, representing ANC alongside leaders from 12 other adoptee-led organizations. Through discussions facilitated by Astrid Castro, Founder and CEO of Adoption Mosaic, we dove into the hard parts of what it takes to create communities that honor adoptees needs including our own. For adoptee leaders, our organizational goals are deeply personal -- this work is the fabric of our own lives and experiences. We explored themes of ethics, storytelling, and sustainability, and heard from each other about how we are navigating this work within our organizations. While each organization represented differs in scope of services and adoption populations served, we all share common missions that strive for adoptee voices to be heard, valued, and supported.
Beyond the Leadership Summit, KAAN conference workshops and sessions addressed topics that adoptees know intimately through lived experience, such as changes in adoptive family relationships, heritage and cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging, and finding our authentic voices to tell our stories. In these sessions, adoptees sit together and share vulnerably about the parts of our experiences that often go unseen and untold in the world outside these safe spaces.
Between connecting with fellow adoptee leaders and meeting members of ANC’s Transnational Adoptee Support Group in person for the first time, I also had the privilege of taking the main stage alongside Also Known As Vice President Rising, Emily Flynn. Together, Emily and I shared our stories of healing and heritage reclamation through food. It was incredibly meaningful to reflect on my own journey in conversation with Emily, whose work was featured in the adoptee-directed short film, Tasting Heritage. The film documents Emily’s exploration of food as a pathway to healing, a means of moving through grief, and a way to find connection, community, and pride in her Korean identity.
This was my third time attending KAAN conference, and I still find it’s hard to describe the feeling of being in this space created by and for adoptees. Before finding my way into adoptee communities like KAAN and finding my advocacy home with Adoption Network Cleveland, I could not have imagined I would find myself sharing my story with a room of three hundred other adoptees who understand. Gathering spaces like KAAN remind me why sharing our stories matters. We show up, hold space for one another, and continue moving forward together as a community that strives to adapt to meet our evolving collective needs.
It is imperative to recognize the leaders who have paved the way for gatherings like KAAN conference. Korean adoptees have built and sustained a multi-generational community and have generously opened doors for other adoptee diasporas who are just beginning to find their voices and build their own networks. At Adoption Network Cleveland, we believe that a unified voice is a strong voice. It is an honor to be part of this ongoing journey of community-building alongside organizations that share a commitment to creating space and elevating adoptee voices.
FOLLOW UP RESOURCES:
To learn more about the history of KAAN please visit their website at About | KAAN Official
To learn more about South Korea's ongoing Truth and Reconciliation Commission and history of Korean adoption, you can visit:
Learn more about Adoption Network Cleveland's Transnational Adoptee Support Group, here: Transnational Adoptee Support Group | Adoption Network
