I was raised in Wilkinsburg. And my parents are white. I point out their skin color as different than mine often, and it matters. Don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan of interracial relationships of all kinds, but what I have learned is that the depth of all relationships that cross racial lines rely on true love, the flexibility for growth, deep education and mutual respect. My mom worked in Brazil in the late 1960s; she was in the Peace Corps, helping local women and mothers living in poverty. It might have been then that she knew she would adopt. But it was more than a decade later, after moving back to Pittsburgh and after being married to my father for several years, that my parents agreed it was time. Mom went back to Brazil. She spoke Portuguese and she was familiar with the history and the culture that made up my identity. This is and was a big deal because people were not really adopting black babies at the time, especially internationally and without an agency. This was before the Hague Adoption Convention , and adoption was a very different process than it is today. For adoptees, there must be a recognition that they are not like everyone else and that some space must be reserved for us and by us. Parents can't always give their children what they need, but they can help us find what that may be. Related stories Develop PGH Bulletins: City of Pittsburgh, Diocese square off on church’s historic designation Develop PGH Bulletins will update you on the Pittsburgh region's economy, including close coverage of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, City Planning Commission and other important agencies. Please bookmark, check back frequently, sign up for the Develop PGH newsletter and email rich@publicsource.org with questions, tips or story ideas.

‘Welcome to the movement’: Hundreds rally against police brutality, racism at Allderdice, in Bloomfield and Fox Chapel Hundreds gathered at Allderdice High School and in Bloomfield and Fox Chapel borough on June 11, the 13th day of Black Lives Matter protests in Pittsburgh. Those in attendance carried signs, participated in chants and listened to impassioned speakers who called on the crowds to show solidarity with Black students and residents in the Pittsburgh area along with those who have experienced police brutality. "Welcome to the movement because we are going to need every single one of you ... At a young age, I decided I hated the word lucky. It felt empty and lacking purpose.

Liana Maneese, the director of Adopting Identity, flips through photos of herself as an infant, including one of her mother, who is now in her 70s, holding her. (Photo by Njaimeh Njie/PublicSource) [ad number=2 ] [ad number=2 ]

There was a time I would have said that I was lucky that my mom and dad didn't just blindly adopt some black kid from somewhere, that I would be a drug addict or a prostitute if it wasn't for my adoption. Now, I would say I know I was brought into this world to experience loss and deep emotion at a young age. My difference is my destiny to share, own, and be proud of. At age 32, I now know my survival and very existence is worth more than an orphan story. But people love a good story of a rescued child. Outsiders often determine your past, present and future within moments of laying their eyes upon your exotic face. When you grow up adopted, especially when you can't hide it racially, life can be full of hurtful assumptions that eventually become your truth. My parents are special, though. Not only because they were ahead of their time and deeply responsible and loving parents, but also because (though they may not have liked it or understood right away) they let me explore who I am and challenge adoption systems and what a healthy and just relationship is. This is huge and quite rare. I had challenges addressing my racial identity for a very long time. I felt like this hodge-podge exotic fetishized chameleon. Even my birth certificate says “white.” Talk about confusing.

People will decide who you are until you take control and figure it out on your own, advises Liana Maneese, the product of a transracial adoption who now counsels others in similar situations. (Photo by Njaimeh Njie/PublicSource)