LaWanda is a white adoptive mom to two transracial adoptees. When she and her husband began their adoption journey seventeen years ago, there was very little education on adoption apart from attachment disorders. Six years later, after adopting their second child, LaWanda had an emotional breakdown as she realized, and literally felt, the complete devastation of adoption. She spent nighttime feedings crying for the postpartum mama that was trying to dry up her milk. She grieved for her son who didn’t recognize her voice as familiar. Since that time LaWanda has tried to educate herself through reading and listening to as many adoptee and birth mom voices as she can. In 2017, the universe gifted her a beautiful friendship with a birth mom. From that friendship, she has grown leaps and bounds in understanding the complexity that is adoption, and has begun to find her voice in the adoption community. She is now an advocate for reunification and supporting birth parents in parenting through organizations like SAFE FAMILIES. She also supports transparency, ethical practices and education in adoption agencies.