Dear NPA community,
As the calendar year comes to a close, the Network of Politicized Adoptees (NPA) welcomes the opportunity for reflection on the ways we’ve connected with ourselves and the greater adoptee community.
As the calendar year comes to a close, the Network of Politicized Adoptees (NPA) welcomes the opportunity for reflection on the ways we’ve connected with ourselves and the greater adoptee community.
A few of our 2025 Highlights:
- We hosted our capstone storytelling event in May! More Kinds of Awesome is an adoptee-centered storytelling event we started hosting in 2018. NPA steering committee member, Julia Gay, was the artist working with each of our storytellers for our third iteration of this event. We are thankful to Julia, Mari, and Katherine for their leadership in this event. We would especially like to extend our appreciation for our incredible storytellers, Sharissa, Liz, Mags, Siuho, and Cecilia, who took the time to write, edit, and present their stories to a live audience! Thank you to all of you who attended or supported this event from afar!
- In June, we partnered with Jennifer Kwon Dobbs on a “Toward Truths and Reconciliation: A Writing Workshop.” Through an evening of collective nourishment, learning, and creative expression, this event invited adoptees to explore what truths and reconciliation could mean and look like—personally, somatically, and in community. This event was inspired by recent global adoptee-led work on truth and reconciliation. We are thankful to Jennifer and NPA steering committee member, Kurt, for their partnership, creativity, and intentionality that they brought to this event and its attendees.
- In July, Mari and Katherine headed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the “context” conference, hosted by the chinese adoptee collective to present and join in community with other Chinese adoptees. The presentation NPA contributed to was on “Cross Movement Solidarity,” and was co-led with Katelyn, Emma, and Kayla from Adoptees for Justice and the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee. We discussed adoption as a political system, understanding cross movement solidarity, global struggles and solidarity in action, and provided time for personal reflection and empowerment. We are thankful for our partnership and connection with our co-presenters and for the chinese adoptee collective for hosting the inaugural conference.
- From September to December, NPA partnered with Dr. Kim Park Nelson again, to lead the 4th cohort of our adoptee community class, “Histories and Cultures of American Transnational Adoption.” The class was designed by Dr. Kim Park Nelson and included six books, five articles and two films. She even arranged a visit with one of our authors, Kit Meyers, who flew all the way to MN to be with us. Steering committee members, Mari & Margie, took a lead in helping coordinate this amazing opportunity for adoptees to investigate the history and practice of transnational adoption within an American and global context. We left the class more knowledgeable and empowered about our own history, with respect to race, politics and social justice.
- We partnered with new organizations in 2025! Steering committee member, Lindsay, represented NPA at a Guatemalan Adoptee Meet-Up. This event was the first in-person meet-up held and featured a Guatemalan adoptee speaker sharing about their experience and journey with navigating their identity as well as Lindsay representing NPA to talk about how we find community and navigate our layered identities as adoptees. Both Lindsay and Katherine also represented NPA at the Inclusion Initiative’s inaugural summit focused on storytelling and resource sharing by and for those who experienced foster care and adoptees. This event was led by Grace Yung Foster. Throughout the day attendees, volunteers, and speakers experienced amazing panel discussions, personal stories shared, resources given, and authentic conversations buzzing all day
Thank you Julia!
We lastly want to celebrate and acknowledge one of NPA’s steering committee members, Julia Gay, who termed-off at the end of 2025. Julia joined NPA in the fall of 2020 and has supported countless events, meetings, and retreats during her time on the steering committee. Julia helped us refresh our website, and leveraged her connections for NPA’s first-ever experiences doing a podcast and AJ+ video interview. We are thankful for Julia’s fierce advocacy in centering adoptee perspectives, storytelling, and movement, and the ways she brought this to the NPA steering committee and broader community.
We lastly want to celebrate and acknowledge one of NPA’s steering committee members, Julia Gay, who termed-off at the end of 2025. Julia joined NPA in the fall of 2020 and has supported countless events, meetings, and retreats during her time on the steering committee. Julia helped us refresh our website, and leveraged her connections for NPA’s first-ever experiences doing a podcast and AJ+ video interview. We are thankful for Julia’s fierce advocacy in centering adoptee perspectives, storytelling, and movement, and the ways she brought this to the NPA steering committee and broader community.
Looking Forward to 2026:
NPA, as an all volunteer org, accomplished a lot in 2025! In 2026, we look forward to taking a step back to refocus inwardly. Our work is only as strong as our relationships with each other so it will be helpful for us to have more space to do that in the beginning of the year. We are also looking forward to partnering with Dr. Kim Park Nelson on a film/discussion series that will support adoptee-led research. We will keep you updated about our upcoming events and collaborative spaces through our socials and occasional emails.
NPA, as an all volunteer org, accomplished a lot in 2025! In 2026, we look forward to taking a step back to refocus inwardly. Our work is only as strong as our relationships with each other so it will be helpful for us to have more space to do that in the beginning of the year. We are also looking forward to partnering with Dr. Kim Park Nelson on a film/discussion series that will support adoptee-led research. We will keep you updated about our upcoming events and collaborative spaces through our socials and occasional emails.
Support our work!
Want more NPA created spaces in 2025? Please consider supporting our work in the new year by donating to NPA. You can donate directly to NPA through our Venmo account. Please reach out to us if you would like to donate but need an alternative method to do so. As an organization that is not a nonprofit or fiscally sponsored and made up of all volunteers, we rely solely on individual donations.
Want more NPA created spaces in 2025? Please consider supporting our work in the new year by donating to NPA. You can donate directly to NPA through our Venmo account. Please reach out to us if you would like to donate but need an alternative method to do so. As an organization that is not a nonprofit or fiscally sponsored and made up of all volunteers, we rely solely on individual donations.
Thank you for being in community with us!
NPA Steering Committee
(Eun Joo, Kurt, Katherine, Julia, Mari & Lindsay)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.npa-mn.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/npamn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npa.mn
NPA Steering Committee
(Eun Joo, Kurt, Katherine, Julia, Mari & Lindsay)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.npa-mn.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/npamn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npa.mn
