Adoptees Crossing Lines

The Wild Robot: Rewriting Harm as Love

Episode Summary: 

The Wild Robot isn’t technically an adoption story, or at least it doesn’t look like one at first. But once you strip away the animation, sweeping music, and story about a robot learning to love, what’s left feels remarkably familiar.

Roz arrives in a community that isn’t hers, accidentally kills Brightbill’s entire family, raises him herself, ...

Short Term 12: Who Gets Centered When We Tell Stories About Care?

Episode Summary: In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their Family Policing in the Media series with Short Term 12. Once remembered as a rare film that centered young people in care, the rewatch lands differently. Together, they unpack how the film still centers caregivers, relies on familiar stereotypes about children in the system, an...

Beyond the Happy Ending: Matilda and Child Autonomy

Episode Summary: 

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their Family Policing in the Media series with a childhood classic: Matilda. Rewatching the film as adults, they explore what its story says about child autonomy, neglect, survival, education, and the people who become safe places when home isn’t one. They also unpack Miss Honey’s...

Joker: Systems, Class Warfare, and the Cost of Being Unseen

Episode summary:
In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and Jay continue their mini-series on family policing in the media with a discussion of the 2019 film Joker. They unpack the film as more than a villain origin story—examining how failed systems, class struggle, and abandonment by institutions shape Arthur Fleck’s descent. They also connect t...

Episode summary:
Zaira and J continue the mini-series on family policing in the media with Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot. They break down how the film uses religion, marketing, and savior narratives to sell adoption as “justice,” while ignoring the root causes that push families into the system. They also connect the story to church state entanglement, coercion in congregations, and what real support could...

Losing Isaiah: When the System Steals, and Hollywood Sells It Back to You

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their mini-series on family policing in the media with a critical look at the 1995 film Losing Isaiah. They unpack the film’s portrayal of Black motherhood, addiction, transracial adoption, and white saviorism. From courtroom drama to deeply racist tropes, they examine h...

Instant Family: Comedy, Consent, and Adoption Propaganda

Episode Summary:

What happens when a comedy about foster care hides a deeper agenda? In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way dig into the film Instant Family, its tone, tropes, and troubling narratives. They reflect on how comedy disarms audiences, how media normalizes adoption propaganda, and why who tells the story matters. From trauma, reunification, and ...

The Blind Side: Ownership, Propaganda, and the White Savior Playbook

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and co-host/editor J Way kick off a new film mini-series with one of the most infamous adoption movies of all time: The Blind Side. They revisit this Oscar winning film with fresh eyes, exposing its white savior narrative, racist tropes, and the insidious control adoption often masks as care. Togethe...

Ashley Albert on Survival, Strategy, and Standing on Business

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira is joined by Ashley Albert—organizer, survivor, and founder of Stolen Children’s Month. Ashley shares her journey from foster care and incarceration to becoming the first parent in Washington state to legally enforce and modify an open adoption agreement. Together, they speak truth to power abou...

What We Carried from the Black Mothers March

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira sits down with her editor and friend J Way to reflect on their experience attending the Black Mothers March in Washington, D.C. From the powerful teach in and the emotional impact of firsthand stories to the joyful moments of community and connection, they unpack what it means to organize, to protest, and to be witnessed. T...

Adopted Twice: Kinship, Control, and the Cost of Silence

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira sits down with Kat Shahinian-Buffa to explore the layers of secrecy, grief, and reclamation embedded in kinship adoption. From being adopted the day she was born to uncovering that her sister is also her cousin through a DNA test, Kat walks us through her journey of survival, family deception, and international ...

Raised by Auntie, Called Mom: The Complicated Truth of Kinship Adoption

Episode Summary:

In this episode, attorney and pro-Black adoptee Aretha Frazier shares her story of being adopted by her aunt in a kinship placement that was far from simple. From navigating family loyalty and control to confronting abuse and the myth of gratitude, Aretha opens up about what it really meant to grow up in a household where blood ties didn’t ...

Surveillance, Saviors, and Screens: Media & Adoption with J Way

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira is joined by her editor, cinephile, and dear friend J Way. Together, they dive into how adoption narratives are portrayed in film and television, from tropes like the “grateful orphan” to more realistic depictions of systemic harm. J Way shares their experience as a transracial adoptee, th...

Mutual Aid as Resistance: Building Systems of Care

Episode Summary: 

In this solo episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira dives deep into the power and necessity of mutual aid. Drawing from personal reflection, historical examples like the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords, and global efforts from Sudan to Florida, this episode highlights how mutual aid has always been about survival. Zaira explores how mutual aid reject...

Adoptee Storytelling & Film Advocacy

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira sits down with Alexandra, a British and American domestic transracial adoptee who grew up in her birth country of Hong Kong. Alexandra is the festival director of the Adoptee Film Fest, a global in-person and online film festival amplifying adoptee-centered films by adoptee filmmakers. They discuss her journey of navigating ide...

Root Work and Resilience: The Fight for Black Families

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira sits down with Tamara and Tracey Robertson, sisters, healers, and advocates serving as Healers in Residence with Movement for Family Power. Together, they discuss their journey of resisting the harms of the family policing system, while centering Black birth traditions, ancestral wisdom, and community healing. Fro...

Adoption, Privilege, and the Stories We Tell w/ Patrick Armstrong

Episode Summary:

In this episode, we explore the complexities of adoption, privilege, and the narratives that shape our understanding of family. Through personal stories and critical reflections, we unpack the ways in which adoption is often framed as an unquestionable good while overlooking the systemic issues at play. We discuss the intersection of race, class, and p...

Annalisa Toccara-Jones on Digital Resistance, Colonial Legacies, and Telling the Truth About Adoption

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira is joined by Annalisa Toccara-Jones, a UK-based producer, communication strategist, and doctoral researcher in journalism. Together, they explore the intersections of adoption, colonialism, race, and digital community. Annalisa shares her personal journey, the loss an...

Reflections on Grief, Healing, and Honoring My Mom

Episode Summary:

In this solo episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira reflects on 2024—one of the most difficult years yet. With raw honesty, she speaks about the grief of losing a mother too soon, the journey of reclaiming memory and identity, and what it means to move through life in the aftermath of family separation. This episode is for anyone navigating complex grief, es...