Some books change the way we see. Rhonda Roorda's In Their Own Voices did that for countless adoptive families, including our own here at ETC. In this episode, Rhonda returns to walk us through her debut memoir, Torn from the Root, and the four questions at its center: who was going to get hurt, what was it going to cost, who would be held accountable, and what hope could there be for repair. It is a tender, unflinching conversation about transracial adoption, the voice of the child within, and what it really takes to belong.

Listener-care note: this episode includes honest discussion of trauma, abuse, and mental health within the context of transracial adoption.

In this episode

  • Why Rhonda turned the lens on her own story after decades of documenting others, and what it meant to listen to the little girl within her

  • The four questions from her memoir that frame the whole conversation

  • The history most adoptive families never hear, from the 1970 National Association of Black Social Workers statement to the research that shaped current policy

  • How everyday language and labels shape a child's sense of identity and worth

  • The difference between celebrating a child's culture and simply living near it

  • A family "blueprint" approach to belonging, where every member is honored and advocated for

  • What repair actually requires, starting with an honest audit of ourselves

  • How nurture, in ETC terms, shows up in our words, our attention, and our follow-through

Resources

  • Torn from the Root: A Memoir of a Black Transracial Adoptee by Rhonda M. Roorda (Temple University Press). Pre-order available now, releasing July 2026.

  • In Their Own Voices, In Their Parents' Voices, and In Their Siblings' Voices, the landmark trilogy Rhonda co-authored with Dr. Rita J. Simon

  • In Their Voices: Black Americans on Transracial Adoption, Rhonda's award-winning solo work

  • Rhonda M. Roorda's website: https://rhondamroorda.com

  • Context referenced in the episode: the 1970 National Association of Black Social Workers position on transracial adoption, and the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994 with the Interethnic Adoption Provisions of 1996

Chapters

  • (00:00:04) - Rhonda Rorda on Transracial Adoption
  • (00:07:12) - Transracial Adoption: A memoir
  • (00:13:48) - Rhonda on Transracial Adoption
  • (00:16:48) - Who Is Being Hurt in Transracial Adoption?
  • (00:24:43) - In the Land of Adoptees: Language
  • (00:28:53) - From A Commodity to the World
  • (00:30:49) - Othering Transracial Adoptees
  • (00:37:15) - What Would It Have Been Like to Experience A Real African Family?
  • (00:46:40) - Adoption advocates speak out for equity
  • (00:47:47) - Adoptees Speak Out About the Transracial Adoption System
  • (00:53:59) - African American culture in the Netherlands
  • (00:59:07) - Transracial Adoptions: The Need for Nurture
  • (01:05:02) - Torn from the Root Review
  • (01:12:53) - Telling My Story of the Transracial Adoption System
  • (01:19:11) - From Here to Eternity
  • (01:22:47) - Rhonda's Empowerment to Connect: Where Do We Go

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