Name: Elodie Harris
Social Justice Group: Child Welfare, Foster Care and Adoption
Date of Fieldwork: February 10, 2022
Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Jenny and Kevin Samuelson
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?[:: :
On Thursday, February 10, 2022, our social justice group was excited to meet with Jenny and Kevin Samuelson, parents of Allie Samuelson, an 8th grader at LREI. Jenny and Kevin adopted Allie and her sister, Zoe, at birth, and they shared their story about going through the adoption process.
Jenny and Kevin wanted to start a family, and they lived in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time, so there were many adoption agencies near them. They reached out to agencies and set up a family profile so that soon-to-be parents could look at their information and decide if they wanted the family to care for their baby. Jenny and Kevin were picked by a mother who lived in Virginia. The day before Allie was born, they got a call that Allie’s birth mother was in labor so they quickly flew to Virginia. They arrived at the hospital hours before Allie’s birth and were in the same room as her when she was delivered. They were unprepared and did not have any baby supplies because of a call on such short notice. Jenny and Kevin even had to borrow a car seat from an agency in Virginia to take Allie back from the hospital.
Because Jenny and Kevin adopted Allie in a different state from the one they lived in, they had to follow the Interstate Compact. The Interstate Compact is responsible for ensuring that the child is safe and stable in their placement across state lines. Instead of going home after she was born, Jenny, Kevin, and Allie had to stay in a hotel for a few days to wait for the Interstate Compact to be approved. It was hard to care for a newborn baby in a hotel. They added that they had to travel home once they were cleared, so Allie went on her first plane ride at just four days old! Jenny said, “everyone judges you when you bring your new-born baby on the plane and they want to tell you what and what not to do with your child, but they really don’t know your full story.”
Once they got home, Allie settled in. Jenny and Kevin made sure to tell Allie about her adoption at a young age because it is important to never lie to children about their real parents, and as adoptive parents, Jenny and Kevin wanted to be honest and open with their daughter.
A few years later, Kevin and Jenny adopted Zoe through the same adoption process with a different family. They are still in touch with biological family of Allie and Zoe. In fact, Allie has seven biological siblings, one of them is her sister who Jenny and Kevin are in close contact with and see often.
It was very inspiring to hear Jenny and Kevin’s adoption stories and experiences. Although the adoption process may be long and challenging, finding children safe and loving homes is always the top priority. I admire Kevin and Jenny’s dedication to helping children who could not be cared for by their biological families. This was a great interview!
