iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

BIPOC Adoptees 3rd Conference (my 2nd) in Portland did not disappoint! "Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion." - bell hooks

010

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I was invited to be part of this Storytelling Panel hosted by @alicestephens.bsky.social & TheAdopteeClown at the BIPOC Adoptee Voices Conference.in Portland, OR later this month! Will you be there?? #AdopteeVoices #BlackAndAdopted #TransnationalAdoptee #LatinéIsNotARace

2112

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Adopted from one country to another? Hope you'll join us if you can! Svetlana is enjoying time in her home country, so Judi will be subbing & cohosting with me tonight! www.adoptionnetwork.org/news-events/...

000

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Just here to post this again like I do every year, not only because Douglass was one of the founding philosophers of American liberty but because I am so moved by the kids Frederick Douglass’ descendants deliver “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”

youtu.be

‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech | NPR

YouTube video by NPR

2124561163

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

🥚TONIGHT'S meeting marks 1 year of ANC's Transnational Adoptee Group! Will you be there? www.adoptionnetwork.org/service-area...

040

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Adoption Network Cleveland's Transnational Adoptee Group is 1yr old as shared in the May newsletter! If you were adopted transnationally (inter-country), join us on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Register: lnkd.in/eDTFz8KN Read the 1yr anniversary blog post here: lnkd.in/ecsM2b4p

020

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

🥚If you've EVER attended the ANC Transnational Adoptee Group, please look for a SurveyMonkey in your inbox (or spam) re Oct's mtg. Would you prefer an open meeting, a panel, or closed as usual? We'd love to have your response! Even if you haven't attended in a while, please complete the survey.

032

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

🥚Did you know ANC has a monthly Transnational Adoptee group? It will be 1️⃣yr w/5️⃣0️⃣+ attendees in May! Represented so far: Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Panama, Peru, Romania, Russia, & Thailand!!

241

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Nicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

“As many as 200,000 adoptees are vulnerable to deportation because they lack U.S. citizenship or important proof of it… Many international adoptees first learn they are not citizens when they apply for a drivers license, join the military or, these days, when federal agents stop them on the street.”

nytimes.com

Born Abroad and Fearful of ICE, Adoptees Try to Prove They Belong

113873

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

If you're an adoptee who hasn't found your people, DM me. I'll do my best to get you connected! 🥚 #ThisIsWho #BlackAndAdopted #TransnationalAdoptee #AdopteeVoices

050

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Farnad Darnell, PhD @docdarnell.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Call her Representative in California: Young Kim 714-984-2440 Flood her office with messages of injustice for our Iranian sister in adoption! Tell Representative Kim to do what she was elected to do and protect her citizens!

014

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Have you listened yet? Check out my conversation with the hosts of the Family Twist podcast! open.spotify.com/episode/2CeQ...

000

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

🥚Family Twist podcast released my conversation with them today! I haven't listened to it yet. Lol! If you do, let me know what you think! 💛 #BlackandAdopted #TransnationalAdoptee #AdopteeVoices #AdopteeStories open.spotify.com/show/1wRGZlm...

open.spotify.com

From International Adoption to Reclaiming Citizenship

020

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

I'm so proud to have been part of this dynamic panel & conversation! If you missed it the recording will be available Friday. All past @adoptionmosaic.bsky.social WTE recordings can be found here programs.adoptionmosaic.com/wte-recordin... 🥚 #BlackandAdopted #AdopteeVoices #TransnationalAdoptee

040

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

orithyia blue. @javeauriel.blacksky.app · 14/02/2026

Currently listening to a panel of Black adoptees who were adopted into Black households and my soul is being fed 🥹 Thank you, @ustabecristina.bsky.social, for letting us know this was taking place today 💙🥚

2263

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Adoptees Crossing Lines Podcast @adopteecrossing.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Family separation didn’t start with foster care, and it didn’t end there. This is Family Policing 101. #adopteesky

0106

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Farnad Darnell, PhD @docdarnell.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Call to action from Adoptee Rights Campaign! One of my dear friends and Iranian adoptee sisters is in removal proceedings by DHS to be deported. Please reach out to your congressional/senate representatives, and any other sources, who may be helpful in stopping this madness! 🥚 #adopteesky

088

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

TONIGHT!! Be sure to register as Zoom links have been refreshed. 🥚 www.adoptionnetwork.org/service-area...

141

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Also.... Did you see the February @adoptionmosaic.bsky.social newsletter? I appreciate Astrid's willingness to listen to my thoughts on this and pivot in response. I wish all adoptee conversations, all conversations, were this real & productive! 🥚

030

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

This Saturday's Adoption Mosaic We the Expert Panel. 🥚 events.adoptionmosaic.com/wte-perceive...

283

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

🥚How I faced the remnants of internalized racism as a Black/Panamanian (Afro-Latina) adoptee in a Black family/community.

050

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Adoptee Advocates of Michigan @aaom-adoptees.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

What does it mean when adoption is advertised on one of the largest cultural stages in America? Presenting family separation during a national event as positive, entertainment-adjacent messaging raises serious concerns about the industry being centered while the those impacted are ignored. 🥚

This year, an adoption propaganda commercial will air during the Super Bowl, promoted by the National Council for Adoption and produced by the Opt Institute. It frames adoption as a reasonable choice for young women while erasing the lifelong trauma adoption can cause for adoptees and mothers, and ignoring the permanent loss of rights that comes with family separation. Millions were likely spent to air this message, funds that could have supported mothers in financial crisis, helped keep families together, or provided real services. Instead, it reinforces a system that severs children from their legal identity, medical history, and family, while leaving mothers without support or rights. This is especially troubling given ongoing reports of powerful leaders with documented ties to child trafficking. The legalized practice of adoption has repeatedly enabled the trafficking of children, both domestically and internationally. At a time when many countries are stepping away from international adoption because of abuse and corruption, the United States is doubling down. Separating infants from their mothers, whether abroad or at home, is not noble. It leaves children vulnerable, denies them basic rights, and causes lifelong harm. This reflects a system that has repeatedly failed children while continuing to present itself as moral, benevolent, and beyond scrutiny. Driven by money and power, it continues to fail the most vulnerable. It should not be aired, but it likely will be.

084

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

🥚 Today at 8pm ET, the Adoption Network Cleveland Transnational Adoptee Group will explore our 1st special topic: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Cultural Spaces. If you were adopted from one country to another, I hope you'll join us!! www.adoptionnetwork.org/service-area...

021

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

What an ADOPTEE-centered year 2025 was! It was so important for us to find/make our own joy in this gawd-awful year. For me, that was spending as much time in community as possible b/c "healing doesn't happen in isolation"!🥚 #AdopteeVoices #AdopteeCommunity #AdopteeYearInReview #TransnationalAdoptee

160

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

I've always said 'foster parents' should be mentors to the parents /whole family rather than replacement caregivers. Of course, that would mean actually working towards 'family preservation', which most jurisdictions talk the talk but don't walk the walk.

020

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Do you have any preferred adoptee-related terminology?? 🥚

252

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

For many adoptees, we've never seen a newborn pic of ourselves like many non-adopted people have. With a lack of transparency in practices & altered/sealed records, many of us may NEVER know basic details of our birth... time, hospital, weight/length, etc. Some are not even sure of their birthdate.🥚

481

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

So excited to be back at Adoption Network Cleveland with Svetlana cofacilitating the Transnational Adoptee Group this (& every 2nd) Tues. If you haven't been in a while, it's at 8pm ET (check your time zone)!! Hope to see all my transnationally/internationally adopted peeps!!🥚 #TransnationalAdoptees

adoptionnetwork.org

Transnational Adoptee Support Group | Adoption Network

The Transnational Adoptee Support Group Meetings offer a safe space for transnational adoptees to explore the challenges and lifelong experiences shaped by adoption across borders.

131

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Kevin Powell @poetkevinpowell.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

PEACE EVERYONE! NO WAY my first doc film, WHEN WE FREE THE WORLD, about manhood in America, would have been made, over 6 years, or been on tour this year, without donations. Asking you to please make TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, any amount. Here is link to do so: www.paypal.com/donate/?host...

041

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Another NAAM book post inspired by another adoptee's IG post titled "Book Spine Poetry"! I've read more than half of the books in the 1st pic & finished all of the books in the 2nd pic via audio- or e-book! I also finished & highly recommend _Adoption Unfiltered_!! Let's see yours!! 📚❣️✨️📚 🥚

012

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Happy Friday Eve!! I'll be going live today on IG with @theblackadoptea & @badancommunity!! 4pm PT/7pm ET. If you're on IG, please join us!!

010

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

When I first reunited with my biological maternal family in Panamá, I saw myself in EVERYONE'S face. It was a sweet relief and validated everything I am. AND it was a reminder of all I'd lost. All the BOTH~ANDs. #NationalADOPTEEAwarenessMonth #AdopteeVoices #BlackAdoptee #TransnationalAdoptee 🥚

060

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

De La Soul @wearedelasoul.com · 14/11/2025

Listen to “Day In The Sun (Gettin' Wit U)" ft. Q-Tip & Yummy Bingham off our new album “Cabin In The Sky”, available Nov. 21st on @MassAppealRecs Pre-save ☁️🏠⛅️: de-la-soul.sng.to/cabin-in-the... Watch the visualizer on our YouTube: youtu.be/VqDyTvMwpFg

14719

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

And this is why Starbucks remains on my boycott list. I might not control much, but I decide where (& where NOT) to spend my $!

020

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

This Sunday! Free online event, but you must register. Hope to see you there!! 🥚

121

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

The Good Adoptee ❌👑 @thegoodadoptee.com · 12/11/2025

Congratulations to @adoptionmosaic.bsky.social, amazing CEO + Founder Astrid Castro and the incredible team on their Nonprofit Launch. Join in the exciting celebration tomorrow night at 6:30pm PT | 9:30pm ET. See you there! #Adopteesky 🥚🧾 Register here: events.adoptionmosaic.com/launch-reg

031

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Ms. June @junemo41.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

So Saturdaymorning at 11am EST I'll be joining @aprilrsilver.bsky.social on #ASCENDING! I'm excited to talk about my favorite subject, #HOUSING Tune in #MarcLamontHill's YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@marclamonth... @akilaworksongs.bsky.social

293

Sandi - I used to be Cristina @ustabecristina.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Last night's writing prompt for Adoptee Voices w/ @saraeasterlyauthor.bsky.social , Jennifer Dyan Ghoston, @alicestephens.bsky.social , & Natasha Triplett was LOSS/GAIN. It was the most emotional night of writing for me so far. Here's what I wrote. Any of it resonate with you?🥚 #NAAM #AdopteeVoices

020

Reposted by Sandi - I used to be Cristina

Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 10/11/2025

Tonight was a very bad night.

1686314299804