Adoptee + Kristal Parke
Being adopted is a unique existence and has profoundly shaped my life in ways I am still discovering. It has meant different things to me at different times throughout my life. I was adopted as an infant by a family that fiercely loved me and called me their own yet I never truly felt like I belonged which may explain my quest for truth. I detoured many times in my desperate search for peace which led me down roads that taught me significant and difficult lessons.
Adoption can often result in the loss of cultural identity. An agenda executed by the Canadian Federal Government to assimilate Indigenous people through Indian Residential Schools and the Canadian 60’s Scoop is part of my story. My mother is a 60’s Scoop Survivor and the majority of my family on my maternal side are Residential School Survivors and then me…all assimilated. How does one come back from cultural genocide? With courage, we reclaim our identity. This reclamation is not just for Indigenous people but for all those who didn’t have the opportunity to be culturally connected.
I reunited with my birth parents in 2000 but a surprise DNA result revealed that the man I believed to be my father all those years was not. This discovery led me to share my story in a documentary named “Because She’s Adopted.” Sharing my story was a profound experience that healed so much, grounded me, and taught me that it was okay to be me.
I chased acceptance and attachment when what I truly needed was authenticity. In my pursuit of belonging, I became what the world needed me to be, hoping to avoid rejection. But in abandoning myself, I felt more disconnected than ever. When I pushed through the fear of showing up exactly as I am, beautiful things began to happen. I was seen, which made me feel real, and whether you accepted me or not was no longer the point…it was okay to exist, it was okay to be me, unapologetically me. The peace I had been searching for in substances and validation was finally found in authenticity, love and purpose.
I am deeply grateful for my fellow adoptees—walking this path together transforms our unique experience into a shared strength.
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by Jeff Forney
Hi! I am Jeff, and I am an adoptee. I’ve been working on a project photographing adoptees and sharing their stories. It’s called the ‘Innocent People’ project, as we are all the innocent byproduct of adoption.
The photos are an ongoing series aiming to change the narrative: get our stories out there, help adoptees ‘out of the fog’ and to better understand our ‘Chapter One’ and it’s impacts on our lives going forward.
There is healing in sharing.
And although our stories are unique and varied, they all share common threads.
It’s a journey to the center of self.