Nicole Chung

I really appreciate this, thank you 💙

When Adoption Promises Are Broken Many birth mothers hope to maintain contact with their child. But their agreements with adoptive parents can be fragile.

If you want to understand open adoption, it makes sense to start with birth parents—yet studies of them are few. 2+ yrs ago, I began talking w/ birth mothers to try to understand what living in an open adoption is like for them, and what rights or options they might have if challenges were to arise.

I spoke w/ over 2 dozen birth mothers for this story. Though I could only include a fraction of their stories here, all they shared about their experiences since placement, their love & their grief, & their hopes for their children helped inform this piece & deepen my understanding of open adoption.

37 people arrested and American kids separated from parents after ICE raid at Chicago apartments | CNN Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken.

Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken. https://cnn.it/4pPCXIt

Setting aside the philosophical questions about the relationship between higher ed and democracy, accepting this compact is to accept lies about the history of higher education. I wrote a whole book about it. adamhsays.substack.com/p/a-raw-new-...

Federal tactics on protesters escalate, hours after judge rules against Trump Hours after a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s plans to deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, federal law enforcement officers escalated the tactics used on prote...

Hours after a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s plans to deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, federal law enforcement officers escalated the tactics used on protesters in the city.

Troy and I were on the ground:

An extraordinary piece by @nicolechung.bsky.social. The depth of this reporting and beautiful writing will stay with me for a long time.

thank you for sharing!

Fantastic piece on open adoption and its challenges for birth parents. 🥚👇🏽
#adopteesky

thank you for reading!

thank you so much for reading!

When Adoption Promises Are Broken Many birth mothers hope to maintain contact with their child. But their agreements with adoptive parents can be fragile.

“I’ve talked with hundreds of birth moms, and I’ve never met one who doesn’t…worry about losing access,” one birth mother and advocate told me. Adoptive parents, she added, “have all the control. They have the child.”

🎁 link:

ty for reading and sharing!

thank you for saying this. and thanks for reading. 💙

appreciate you reading and sharing!

thank you for reading and sharing.

❤️

❤️

thank you so much, David.

What Happens When Socialists Are in Charge? Portland Offers a Glimpse.

Not only does this story get a number of basic facts wrong, it doesn’t take time to actually explore why Portlanders elected these folks. Coming in with a pre-baked PDX story to fit a NYT narrative about NYC is harmful, especially at this moment.

thank you for sharing!

Federal agents shoot woman they say 'boxed in' authorities in Brighton Park Authorities were on patrol when they were "rammed by 10 cars," according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security. One of the drivers "was armed with a semi-automatic weapon," prompting...

U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a woman on Saturday morning in Brighton Park marking the second shooting since President Donald Trump’s administration launched an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the area last month, the @chicago.suntimes.com reports

thank you, Elon. I appreciate you talking with me about this story when I felt stuck!

A Living Remedy: A Memoir A Memoir

I’ve recommended it before, and I’ll do it again: Nikki’s A Living Remedy is a masterpiece that’ll tear you to shreds. bookshop.org/p/books/a-li...

It was a privilege to talk with so many birth mothers for this story. For some, it was the first time they had spoken about their experiences to anyone outside of family. I wish I could have included more of their stories. Every conversation was important & helped me better understand open adoption.

it ended up being one of so many anecdotes cut for space. but I still think about that family a lot. thanks for reading, Tove.

reminds me of one adoptive parent I talked to (who also let me talk with her adopted child) who had built a really close relationship w/ the birth mom AND extended birth family—the adoptive family drives hours to see them, birth mom is part of every birthday, adoptee calls birth mom "Mama" etc.

I so appreciate this, Rainesford. 💙

Nicole put so much work, thought, care, generosity and deep empathy into this piece and it shows! a must-read

thank you again for all your early work on it, Julie!