THIS MONTH IN THE KOREAN ADOPTEE COMMUNITY - Nov 2025

HONORING NATIONAL ADOPTEE AWARENESS MONTH (NAAM)

By Jon Oaks

Why Does NAAM Matter?

National Adoptee Awareness Month offers an opportunity for adoptees to claim space, share narratives, and connect with peers who understand the layered experience of adoption. It recognizes gratitude and joy, but also ambiguity, longing, cultural dislocation, and questions of identity. It is a time to give space to the voices of adoptees and to acknowledge the many ways that adoption shapes lives and communities.

For many adoptees, especially those of transracial, transnational, or culturally divergent adoption experiences, NAAM is a reminder that they are seen not just as someone’s “success story,” but as whole people with complex histories, feelings, and identities.

Because NAAM and Thanksgiving both fall in November, it is important to acknowledge how this time of year can bring mixed emotions. It can also be a period of emotional intensity as the holidays approach, when reunion thoughts and questions of identity often resurface.

While many people look forward to Thanksgiving as a time of family, gratitude, and gathering, adoptees may experience:

• A sense of outsider status, as differences in culture, heritage, or adoption experience can amplify feelings of not quite belonging.

• Questions about what one is “grateful for” versus what one has lost, such as biological family, birth culture or language, and identity anchors.

• Pressure to “be grateful” without being given space to express grief, uncertainty, or ambivalence.

• Yearning for connection, reunion, history, and heritage.

Coping Strategies and Ways to Reflect

During this time, it can help to remember that it is okay to feel more than one thing at once. It is okay to need a break, and it is okay to say, “this holiday is hard for me,” while still finding ways to honor yourself, your story, and your community.

Here are a few ideas for reflection and self-care during the month:

• If you are an adoptee, consider writing your story, even a small part of it. Share it in a journal, a group, or a creative format.

• Use personal reflection. Write three things you are grateful for and one thing you would like to explore about your adoption story this month.

• If the holidays are difficult, make a plan ahead of time. Carve out a small ritual for yourself, schedule a quiet moment, or arrange a check-in with a trusted friend.

• Share resources. Circulate book lists, community events, or local support groups within your networks.

Some resources explore this balance of mourning, celebration, and hope in one space. NAAM is an invitation to reflect, to find connection, and to recognize that both gratitude and growth can coexist.

For Allies, Families, and Supporters

National Adoptee Awareness Month also provides a meaningful opportunity for adoptive families, birth families, professionals, and allies to move beyond the stereotypical “happy ending” narrative of adoption. It is a time to listen, to learn, and to provide genuine support to adoptees in your lives.

If you are an ally or family member, ask adoptees how this month feels for them. Invite conversation rather than assuming that it is a time of pure celebration. Consider following adoptee-led awareness campaigns and conversations on social media, such as those that appear throughout November on Instagram. Give yourself permission to simply listen without feeling pressure to comment or compare your own experiences. Listening deeply can often be the most powerful form of support.

A photo from Also-Known-As’s Holiday Party 2024

Events This November

Here are some upcoming events for the adoptee community across the country:

• Wishing to Grow Up Brightly - This new musical, inspired by the real-life story of Korean American adoptee Amanda Morton, explores her journey through loss, identity, and the search for home. Performances run November 5–23, 2025, at Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA. Accessible pricing includes Pay-What-You-Want options, discounted previews, and Front Row Fridays. Use promo code BRIGHTLY10 for 10% off tickets.

• Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) - The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival returns November 6–16, 2025, celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander filmmakers. The lineup includes premieres across narrative and documentary films, highlighting LGBTQ+, NHPI, Southeast Asian, and Palestinian stories. Use code PAAFF25PARTNER for 10% off tickets.

• A Feast Among Friends: An Also-Known-As Friendsgiving - The Also-Known-As community will host a Friendsgiving on Saturday, November 15, from 1:00–4:00 PM in New York City. Adoptees and friends are invited to share food, crafts, and conversation in a cozy afternoon of connection and gratitude.

• Also-Known-As Holiday Party at TapHaus33 - Celebrate the season with adoptees and allies at TapHaus33, 14 East 33rd Street, New York City, on Friday, December 5, from 6:00–10:00 PM. The event includes catered food, a one-hour open bar, and festive community cheer. Free for members or $45 for non-members. RSVP required.

  Though these events have past - please note these orgs for future events!

• Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH) and Chinese Adoptees of the Midwest (CAM) K-Pop Dance Class - KAtCH and CAM are hosting a beginner-level K-Pop dance class led by CAM founder Olivia Lemmenes on Friday, November 7, from 7:00–8:30 PM at The Rooted Space, 4432 North Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago. No prior dance experience required.

• A Celebration of Adoptee Voices - Brooklyn Poets will host this event on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 7:00 PM, featuring readings and performances by adoptee poets and creatives. Proceeds support adoptee-led organizations, and a livestream will be available.

• Association of Korean Adoptees San Francisco (AKASF) Bojagi Workshop Join AKASF and artist Judy Kim on Saturday, November 8, from 3:00–5:00 PM for a hands-on workshop on the Korean fabric art of bojagi at 1539 41st Avenue, San Francisco. Participants will learn about the craft’s history and create their own piece to take home. Registration is $35 and includes an optional dinner gathering afterward.