Through the Fog: Also-Known-As

In a conversation spanning 30 years of nonprofit history, community building, and mentorship, four leaders (and former presidents!) of Also-Known-As share and reflect on their experience with guiding the organization, as well as what being in community with other international adoptees has taught them.

At the heart of their conversation are service and mentorship, two foundational pillars of Also-Known-As when it was founded in 1996 by a small group of Korean adoptees in New York. Yet what began as a mentorship program has since blossomed into a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering international adoptees from all backgrounds, with ongoing educational, cultural, and post-adoptive workshops that strives to build a space that celebrates the diverse and intersectional identities of the adult adoptee community.

Observing that the organization will continue to grow to meet the needs of international adoptees, Hollee McGinnis notes how she’s seen Also-Known-As evolve throughout the years in its commitment to planning social events where both mentors and mentees could learn from one another; likewise, Marissa Martin describes how Also-Known-As deepening its relationships with small businesses, the Korean consulate, and other organizations has helped expand Also-Known-As’ reach and visibility across different communities. Lindsay Geier, whose tenure marked the first time Also-Known-As had an international Chinese adoptee as President, recalls how she found within the organization a racial mirroring absent in the predominantly white community of many adoptees’ upbringing, hoping others can look to the organization’s board to reclaim their own stories. Referring to the end of international adoptions from Korea, Michael Mullen highlights that the years of advocacy and community-building undertaken by Korean adoptees should serve international adoptees from all backgrounds: “They’re not making more of us!”

Special thanks to the Thomas and Wonsook Foundation for their generous support in making this project possible.