Third-culture Trans-Racial Adoptee

What does it mean to be a Third-Culture Trans-Racial Adoptee?

For Chozie Thorp it started with being adopted out of her Filipino family by asingle, white, American woman living overseas in the military. Growing up she traveled extensively and lived in different cultures, thus witnessing a plethora of diversity and beauty within those cultures, seeing "past the 'cover' of differences, breaking down pretenses, and seeing people as people."

When moving to the United States as a young adult, married and with children, she again witnessed a culture of diversity that held amazing talent and potential in the lives of so many of its citizens. Yet she realized quickly that the potential she sees goes unseen by so many who instead judge, separate and blatantly hate people they see as other - often herself and her children included - because of their race and country of origin.

Chozie's story is one of walking among three distinct worlds - Filipino, white American, multi-cultural - and often feeling like she doesn't really belong in any of them.

When asked what she most hopes to convey by being a Human Book in our library, she said: "I find this project to be a unique and inviting opportunity to combat the hatred I feel is so prevalent in our community. Hatred stems from fear bred out of ignorance. Knowledge and communication is the first step to breaking it down."