The tearful audience gave a standing ovation to Angela Tucker after watching the luminous Closure documentary (www.closuredocumentary.com) about her quest to find her birth parents. Angela, an African American, was adopted in a closed adoption at age one by Caucasian parents who had a biological daughter and then adopted several special needs children of different racial backgrounds. When her adoptive parents brought her home, she was physically disabled and they did not know if she would ever walk. With the devotion and love of her adoptive family, Angela grew up to be an outstanding basketball player, a college graduate, a gifted writer (http://theadoptedlife.com/), and a passionate writer and advocate for open adoption.
As a child and young adult, Angela was not curious about her adoption, but when she turned 26, she had a deep longing to find her birth parents. At first, her adoptive parents were hurt and frightened about what she might discover about her birth family, but when Angela explained her haunting need, her adoptive parents and siblings joined in her quest. Angela’s husband, Bryan Tucker, is a filmmaker and he documented her extraordinary odyssey for closure.
I watched the Closure documentary and heard Angela speak about the film at a conference of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (www.adoptionattorneys.org).
When she opened the floor to questions, I asked, “As an adoptive parent and an adoption attorney, I want to protect my kids from the possible pain of discovering difficult things about their birth parents. Isn’t that a legitimate concern?”
Angela answered, “Whatever an adoptee discovers, it is their truth and they deserve to know their truth, even if it is painful.”
Angela’s strength and her adoptive parents’ and birth family’s love have helped her through some tough truths and brought her closure in her quest to find her birth parents. She and the film are a powerful testament to open adoption.
