If the system were designed to protect adoptees, why do so many have to fight for their rights?
— DaShanne StokesDiscovering that I was adopted redefined my entire world, but it taught me that who you are doesn't change.
— DaShanne StokesWhat makes a family is neither the absence of tragedy nor the ability to hide from misfortune, but the courage to overcome it and, from that broken past, write a new beginning.
— Steve PembertonI love them both as though I birthed them both, but also as though I adopted them both.
— Natalie BrennerAdoptees deserve open records because deception and partial truths do not set us free.
— DaShanne StokesAdoption is a lifelong journey. It means different things to me at different times. Sometimes it is just a part of who I am. Other times it is something I am actively going through.
— Kelly DiBenedettoAdoptee rights are everyone's rights, and they deserve to be protected.
— DaShanne StokesBlood can help make family, but family often transcends blood.
— DaShanne StokesAdoption isn't just a childhood experience, it's a life-long experience.
— DaShanne StokesBeing denied their original birth certificates isn't just a problem for adoptees. It's a social problem, requiring social change.
— DaShanne Stokes