Every year, thousands of children are adopted by parents of a different race – what we call "transracial adoption." It can provide tremendous benefits, like a higher quality of living & a better education – but a significant psychological toll, too. In this courageous talk, American Indian adoptee Susan Devan Harness shares her own experience & some helpful lessons for prospective adoptive parents. Susan Devan Harness is an American Indian transracial adoptee & a member of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes. Her extensive writing about American Indian assimilation policies & child placement includes Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption, a 2019 Colorado Book Award finalist. She holds an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology & an M.A. in Creative Nonfiction Writing, both from Colorado State University. She loves to travel and has visited all but four U.S. States. She was a seasonal interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service.

Every year, thousands of children are adopted by parents of a different race – what we call "transracial adoption." It can provide tremendous benefits, like a higher quality of living & a better education – but a significant psychological toll, too. In this courageous talk, American Indian adoptee Susan Devan Harness shares her own experience & some helpful lessons for prospective adoptive parents. Susan Devan Harness is an American Indian transracial adoptee & a member of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes. Her extensive writing about American Indian assimilation policies & child placement includes Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption, a 2019 Colorado Book Award finalist. She holds an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology & an M.A. in Creative Nonfiction Writing, both from Colorado State University. She loves to travel and has visited all but four U.S. States. She was a seasonal interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service.