Oprah's Sister...Wow! Brought tears to my eyes

I didn't hear the news about Oprah's sister until this morning while watching Good Morning America and my God!...how I could relate to her long lost sister Patricia. I too had that lifelong urge to know who gave birth to me and to know the circumstances surrounding my adoption. Unlike Patricia, I did not find a famous sister, but very much like Patricia, I too wanted to know my biological family and this precious piece of information about my origins meant more than money, fame or some news story to be sold to the press. I send tons of kudos to Patricia for staying true to her heart and never giving up her desire to be reunited with her original family.  Family and knowing about your beginnings far outweighs money and fame as this touching reunion demonstrates.
Maybe, just maybe...this reunion between Oprah and her long-lost adopted sister will bring some light to the issue of Adoptee's in America not having legal access to their own vital birth information in 42 states.  It's crazy but in New Jersey, I still do not have the right to see my original birth certificate even though I am in reunion with both my birth mother and birth father.
I'll keep watching this story...bringing tears to my eyes...

RealTalk Segment with Brenda Blackmon: Adoptee Record Reform Discussion

Click below to see  segments of an interview I did along with Judy Foster on Channel 9's Sunday morning talk show "RealTalk". 

RealTalk: Part One

RealTalk: Part Two
RealTalk: Part Three

A story that had to be told...

My inspiration for writing a true accuont of my life as an adopted individual can be distilled into one
simple word—hope. Woven into my story is the hope of fostering awareness of the civil rights of
adoptees and promoting reform in the current laws pertaining to adoptee records.
I was born in the state of New Jersey and was surrendered by my birth mother to a Catholic
adoption agency.  At ten days old, I was placed into the home of my adoptive family.  My parents
told me at a very early age about my adoption status, however, no further knowledge about my
origins were divulged.  I was simply told there were other parents, and yet, at the same time, was
expected to pretend they didn't matter anymore—they didn't exist.

After years of silenced questions, I searched in order to uncover my origins against walls of
opposition from my family, society and the reality of closed adoption records in New Jersey. The Sound of Hope is my story.