A quick update before you listen. This episode was released on September 26th, 2023, and recorded

just before that. On September 29th, there was a development about the family at the core of the

movie The Blind Side. A probate judge in Memphis terminated the conservatorship that the Tewis had

over football player Michael Orr., or had alleged that this arrangement allowed

them to reap the profits of his story without giving him his share or even actually adopting him.

That judge said in her decision that she cannot believe a conservatist ship was approved in the first place.

Okay, back to our original episode.

This is Hear Me Out. I'm Celeste Headley. You might have seen a story earlier this summer

about the real-life family whose story inspired The Blindside. Former NFL player Michael

Orr has sued the Tewies, who he says have profited off the inspiring story of their white

family adopting a black

teen out of foster care without sharing the profits with Michael or ever actually legally adopting him.

It's a complicated story, but Michael's lawsuit has still resonated with a lot of transracial

adoptees. Being raised by people you aren't related to brings up a lot of

questions about identity, particularly when these relationships cross racial lines. And transracial

adoptees will tell you this discussion is not new. An adoption is not a heroic act necessarily,

but sometimes a traumatic one. People want to think birth parents are bad,

adoptive parents are good, child goes to the good place, all as well. That is just not how it works.

Angela Tucker, writer and adoptee, joins us in just a moment. Stay with us.

Welcome back to Hear Me Out, I'm Celeste Headley. About 3% of American families have adopted a child.

That's according to a 22 Harris poll. And obviously 3% is a pretty small number. But think of it this way.

There are around 5 million adopted children in this country,

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