Gediyon Prince: I would have chosen to stay (in Ethiopia)

Our second guest is my good friend, Gediyon Prince! Gediyon is a 24-year-old Ethiopian adoptee. He was adopted in 2006, at the age of 7, after nearly two years at Wide Horizons orphanage, located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In this episode, Gediyon illuminates how adoption complicates notions of identity, family dynamics, biology, and the concept of choice, and how he coped with it all. We also chat about the crisis adoptees face as a result of getting caught at the intersection of whiteness and blackness as a result of transracial adoption. His truth further helps to redefine our understanding of adoption, adoptees, and the traumatic process that is adoption. Unlike the normalized narrative pushed on adoptees of being grateful for their adoption, Gediyon's experience challenges that some adoptees like him, would have chosen to stay. What a concept! Thank you Gediyon for sharing your story with all of us; it's not easy. I hope you all enjoy the episode! As always, feel free to reach out with comments or suggestions. xoxo - Lidet