NBC News Interview: Latinos own and disown 'Hispanic' in journey to harness identity

Words cannot describe how excited I am to share this collaboration I did with NBC News about Hispanic Heritage Month. More importantly, I got to share my beautiful and tough stories of how I have navigated being Afro-Latina in my family, career, and in the community.

“Ligia Cushman, who grew up in New York City’s predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights where she remembers being told “you're not Black, you're Dominican,” used to identify herself as Hispanic until she moved to the Deep South.”

Check out my interview here.

Our Archibald Project Interview

“We sat and planned what we all thought was best for him without him in the room. And he chose differently…and he demanded different for us, and we all had to rise to the occasion.”

I love talking about our adoption journey as a family. I especially love talking about how we made openness in adoption work because he needed it. Lean in as I share our encounters with racism, grief and loss, and so much more!

To listen to the podcast click here!

My Adoption Hacks Podcast Interview

I am super excited to share my podcast interview with the fine folks at Adoption Hacks.

In this interview, we talk about EVERYTHING! Whatever stage of adoption you are in, this episode has something for you.

“Ligia shares her personal story of loss and how it led to adoption. We also discuss what it's like to adopt as a person of color and finding community. Ligia shares where things stand with racial justice and the adoption community and what the future of trainings could look like. And she talks about personal stories of her adoption journey and how we can love our children well.”

Listen here.

Race and Adoption Podcast - The Adoption Connection

Race and adoption. Two issues with many layers of complexity. This week my friends at The Adoption Connection are replaying a conversation they hosted on their Facebook group with Derek Hamer (transracial adoptee), Me 😊 (transracial adoptive parent and adoption professional), and Melissa Corkum (transracial adoptee and transracial adoptive parent).

Please listen as we tackle questions like, "How do we educate our kids without inducing fear," and, "What is the future for transracial adoption?"

You can also check out The Adoption Connection on their Instagram page.

Promising Pilot Programs Webinar - The Adoption Exchange

Yesterday was a productive day considering we are facing some difficult times ahead.

So excited to have been part of a webinar panel where I got to share some of the newest initiatives put in place to restructure and reframe adoption work here in Tampa. I can’t say enough about my team and our community stakeholders who partnered with us on this journey. Many thanks to The Adoption Exchange for having me. To listen to the full presentation please click here (membership may be required).

Watch a sample clip of my response to a tough question on how to keep potential adoptive families from feeling like they are competing for the same children. My response may surprise you.