I'm Legit

[LoriLynnePringle]

no choice.

[LoriLynnePringle]

I also wanted to reply to nadesh's comment. They do not have to criminalize a mother to take her child. Many had to go through their entire pregnancies being sha,ed, and being infantilized by their parents and others. By the time their babies were born, they had been convinced that they were too immature to raise a child, and many were also threatened with homelessness ans joblessness, and were told that nobody would hire them, marry them, and their whole life woukd be ruined along with the lif

[LoriLynnePringle]

Thanks so much ti both Darryl and Zara for this awesome song! This song and video do a fantastic job at conveying some of the feelings that are common among adopted people! I also used to look at people on the street and wonder if one of them was my mother or my father. The lyrics are just fantastic, and I really am exstatic that DMC is standing up as an adoptee and speaking out for us like this!

[momof80s]

As an adoptee, I still love this song; although, I do not feel exactly the same way Zara sings about telling her mother she was okay. "Climbing a mountain" in this pursuit of opening closed records however, is one thing I can surely relate to. I wish NY would sign the bill to open adoption records. Does anyone have an update on that?

[eagoodlife]

Great song, so true.

[golddread]

Love this song i'm adopted also.

[mividalocaaa1]

This is a beautiful video! Thank you so much for this. People who aren't adoptees have no idea how it feels to start their life from chapter 2, and it's ridiculous that the government is allowed to falsify legal documents like a birth certificate and then keep the real ones from us. We need to get these archaic laws changed and stop the secrecy and lies!

[anth1945]

soo awesome.just reunited with my birth family. in the most amazing way.

[momof80s]

@anth1945 Hi. Congratulations! Wanna share how you accomplished this?

[nina415cat]

to momof80:

I actually found my birth/first mother. I did years of research and finally hired a private detective ... I met her (for the second time) when I was 42. I am really, really blessed and I wish everyone could be so blessed.

It has made a huge difference to me (and, to her, too). When I searched, I decided I'd accept anything that was the truth -- even rejection. At first, things were difficult; now, we have a close, loving relationship. As I said, I am very, very blessed.

[momof80s]

@nina415cat Thank you so much for replying to me! I hired a trace company & pray w/all my might that I can find my birth parents. Not that I want to be rejected, but relatively speaking, I do not care one ioda if I am. I just need to know who they are. It would be ideal to develop a favorable relationship however, my primary concern is that I discover the origins of my identity. Not knowing is an agonizing void. Do you have any insight that could help me? I am so grateful for your reply.

[TheLionsfanw]

awesome and amazing song I can't listen to it without crying I am so happy that someone like Zara is out there working to help us adult adoptee's in our quest for our Original Birth Certificates! Thank you Zara for being an amazing PEEP! :D

[momof80s]

I love this song. I want to purchase it!

[nadeseh]

in order to be able to take a child away, agencies have to criminalize the mother (call her unfit) She may look (though sometimes warned not to) but the trauma of losing her child many times causes an early death. romantic reunions happen less often than thought. Read some reunion/ adoption books, most help

[redhaireddog]

Sometimes I think that maybe I'm a ghost, that I don't really exist at all.

[MichaelCollinsDC]

This is as good as it gets. Thank you!!!

[LizzyBrew]

Wow, how did I miss this! Thank you!

[accessamerica]

Against all odds ! not exactly...

\Most adoptees are adopted out within a 20 mile radius of were they were born in my case only 18 miles from were I was born.

Most adoptees have a 70% chance of being reunited.

20% of adoptees face denial ,and only 10% face some sort rejection.

I waited 58 years before I would do my search and in just 2 weeks to find my biological family, I met my mother saw her only 3 times she passed away 2 years later.

[momof80s]

Reply to @accessamerica

The odds you stated offer me hope. I used to feel my mother was near. I was adopted in New York City and grew up on Long Island. I still feel there is hope to see my natural mother one day. I want to see both of my parents and surely it pains me to think that maybe I will not have that chance. I want to find them before they die since my mom is nearing or is 65 now, according to the non-identifying records. This song is a beautiful expression of love and longing.

[DrThuggztable]

great to hear this again

[HelenDiazOfficial]

I'm not adopted but I think this is marvellous- Great video and i love the rap- both voices are a great contrast and compliment each other very well. beautiful work all of you x

[InsomniacGirl]

Thank you for such a moving video. I've watched it three times over the past week, and it brings tears to my eyes every time. As an adoptee who has been reunited with my birth-mother, and will soon be in contact with my birth-father (after a 40-year search to find them), I support both adoptees and birth parents, especially our rights as adoptees, to find out exactly who we are.

[momof80s]

@InsomniacGirl I am happy for you and pray that I will be writing the same thing one day as I want to see both my mom and my dad. I only have my mom's maiden name which is unfortunately a common name. It feels like a needle in a haystack. My birthday is Christmas day however. I know she has to remember me if she is alive. It is offensive to know that court clerks and others know the information I have longed to know my entire life. Totally offensive.

[msusiecu]

love it, says it all..........my daughter was lost to adoption and I am now happily reunited after a long 15 yr search. I will spend the rest of my life fighting for equal access to OBC's.

[nina415cat]

I am so lucky that my adopted mom supported my search. I finally found identity when i was in my early 40s ... it's just plain WRONG that the State gets to know my origins and i don't ... what's with that!!!!?

[momof80s]

Reply to @nina415cat

I can relate to your upset about others knowing information I have desperately longed for my entire life, yet such personal knowledge about who gave birth to me remains concealed from me. It seems un-Godly. I am searching and like you, my adoptive parents have helped me by providing me with documents that aid in the search. I could not discern whether you meant that you found your birth parents or simply found a sense of identity by how you phrased it?

[jtmare]

I wish I could explain to family and friends how I feel being an adoptee, I can never find the right words. This song and video says it for me and I ask everyone to watch this so they can understand what it's like for me. Zara, because you and DMC are adoptees you speak from your hearts and your own experiences. Thank you.

[woodlark391]

I am continually amazed by the attitude of the general public on this lifelong issue created by sealed adoption. When asked, then pressed for an answer, fully 80% - in my personal experience - tell me they believe that adopted persons, having reached majority, DO have access to their OBC.

[danaseilhan]

I've already seen this video a few times but this time, for some reason, it got to me. I'm a first mother and my situation was a little bit different, basically my ex-in-laws used adoption to keep me from ever getting my son back, permanently, after I asked them just to look after him until I got on my feet. I had no one in my corner. Adoption the way it's done now must be banned. Too many lives are being torn apart. OBCs are only part of the story.

[cindylou22312]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting this out there. Beautiful song and so much of it expresses how I felt before reuniting. And reunion was and continues to be one of the most wonderful experiences of my life!

[adoptedinca]

The video footage is from the last Adoptee Rights Protest held on July 21, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The next protest is scheduled for July 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. If you want to help stand up for the civil rights of adopted persons, google LOUISVILLE ADOPTEE RIGHTS DEMONSTRATION

[ChrissaBunny]

I gotta say, at first I thought it was a bit Cheesy.. but after about the 8th measure I was Crying like a baby.

Closed Adoption is the same as kidnapping to many of us whom aren't allowed access to our Birthfamily.

Some of us were abused by our Adopted families, and left with nothing.

I wish there were more artists that would do such an inportant piece of work as this.

THANK YOU - DMC and ZARAH PHILLIPS

[SearchAngels]

We loved this video and the music. Zara you have a beautiful voice and more importantly a beautiful heart. Thanks for sharing. Shadow and Diane

[nina415cat]

Thank you. This is so evocative for those of us who were adopted. In most states in this country, we are denied our original birth certificates -- the evidence of our OWN origins. Thank you so much for singing about this ... it's so real for those of us who wish to know. I finally found my truth when I was 42; everyone has the right to know their truth.

[Alwz4fun]

Thanks for the hard work with keeping the "message" out there.......for [all] of us. THANK YOU!

[AdopteeRightsPA]

Thank you so much for this. This is amazing!

[IheartNovember]

Awesome video!!

[FoxyAdoptee]

The lyrics cut right to the heart of the matter! Thanks for this beautiful work of art and activism!

[kimponce01]

Hey Zara, Congratulations on the song and video, it's awesome! You and Darryl make beautiful sounds together! Keep up the good work!, Kim Ponce

[nina415cat]

So evocative for those of us who are adopted! I wish more people understood how intense our need to know can be. I also wish that people knew how outdated laws keep us from our own information; we can't even have access to our OWN birth certificates. USA is way behind. Almost all other W. Eur. countries now allow adopted adults access to their own birth/adoption records. It's a matter of human/civil rights. Thanks, DMC, for speaking out. (& check out Bastard Nation, adoptee rights org.)

[603Scott]

Simply Awesome!

Can this be Purchased on CD anywhere?

Gosh, In the Video when you are looking at an older woman thinking 'can that be my birthmother?' I REMEMBER always looking at woman's faces growing up wondering!

[cindylou22312]

@603Scott Yup that is exactly how it was for me.

[sdocguy]

Thank you Justin Lundstrom and Act Zero Films for their incredible support and direction on this video. Their dedication and generosity is only matched by their superior expertise. Thank you.

[JackieEco]

Nice:)

[216danceFREEZE]

Loved when it premiered----STILL love it now!

Thanks D & Zara!

-Mykelle

[CairnsBongoFury]

Zara, yeah, that'll do. Great stuff. x

[Eaglelake2244]

WOW - tears in my eyes! Thanks for this beautiful video.

[saralp1967]

A song for us on this subject was long overdue. Much appreciated. Darryl, Zara-please keep creating and performing powerful songs like this to represent adoptees.

[enchantedwood]

Great video and beautiful song and singer!

Most people take their personal history for granted. A basic human right which is often denied to those who are adopted. The truth is always preferable to the secretive nature of many adoption practices. Adopted people deserve the right to their personal records!

[KarolinaRedd]

great video, and message.

[fjradice1]

Beautiful!

[csurgtech]

Thank you Zara and DMC!! A beautiful song, and such powerful words! Thank you to everyone involved in the making and production of this video!! We need everyone possible to become involved!

[498332]

Wow! Thanks for the work, Zara and Darryl. There's power in song!

[cynthiasue1]

Thanks for this video! Just maybe artists can bring this issue to light. Politics, greed and entitlement have failed to expose the lifetime of heartache suffered by the adoptee and first mothers. Another failed social experiment from the 20th century! Similar to the "lost generations" in Austrialia. BTW the victims of that atrocity at least received a formal apology!

[sabres4jeff]

Thank you all for creating this, it's incredibly exciting! I hope you each can come to Louisville for the Demonstration!

Jeff

[Chainreaction1964]

Beautifully done. Hope it goes viral.

[emptyross]

this is so spot on....thanks so much for this wonderful video

[jobsalegend]

The time and effort that has gone into this great cause from Zara and DMC has been second to none. What you are doing is fantastic and I hope and pray that it brings the attention it deserves and gets recognition throughout the country and beyond. The video is fantastic!!!

[sandykopandy]

I'm not a part of the adoption community, but I wanted to say that all of the work that you all are doing is raising awareness for people like me. I get it. I hope that this movement will sweep the country and allow people to understand the visceral need to know. No one should be allowed to keep that from you. Keep holding the signs and keep calling out, and know that you will be heard.

[momlost]

thank you to all who were involved in this

great song out

everyone is entitled to their

ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE

[PALady19]

This is wonderful! Thank you so much to you both for putting the issue of original identity so beautifully and succinctly! I am a first mother. I lost my first daughter to adoption in 1964. We reunited in 1986, and I wish the same for everyone who wants to "know their history". Keep up the good work!

[jtmare]

Thank you to Zara and DMC. I'm a late discovery adoptee and it's so good to have a song that relates to my situation and gets the word out to the world that we need access to our original birth certificates. It's so hard to explain how this feels to us to be denied our birth right (to people outside the triad) and this song says it for us.

[breadski]

Really good stuff.

[anneadoptee]

Love the video!

[tocarol]

Kudos and many thanks to Zara and Darryl! The word "excellent" just doesn't seem to be enough... as a reunited first mother, I am so appreciative that you are bringing this horrible injustice to the forefront.

[mseymore1]

I'm an adoptive mom, and I want all adopted persons to have access to their original birth certificates. I first heard this song at the AAC conference in April 2009, and loved it. Thank you for reaching out so others can learn of the importance of this issue!

[cindylou22312]

Thank you for commenting in support of this issue. I wish more adoptive parents would speak out. You clearly love your child(ren.)

[maddog3428]

Thank you so much Zara, Darryl, and Scott. May ALL adoptees get unconditional access to our original birth certificates.  Can't wait to see you all in Louisville!

[matthewespina1973]

WOW!!!! What a powerful message and a great song. Thanks Zara & DMC! Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!!

[IsayHope]

Fabulous Fabulous Fabulous! Inspiring. Thanks Zara, Darryl, and Scott. A million thanks. Words can't even express how grateful I am to be represented by such a great artistic effort.

[vistacruiser00]

Oh my God, this is beautiful!

Thank you Zara, Darryl and Scott!

[pugsyandwaffles]

This is a great video...Thanks Zara and DMC. See you all in Louisville!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hunnification]

Wanted to add that Registrys like Illinois's are wonderful. My daughter got a copy of her OBC that way- but it's not the real thing- I think this video could do a ton for all of us in this fight!

Mary Provance-Garvens

[elizabethcl]

Beautiful! Can't wait to see everyone in Louisville!

[vkivy12]

THANK YOU!!!  I love it. . . .

[janesgang1]

What a beautiful and awesome way to get the message out. Thank you for your awe-inspiring video. From a reunited birth-mom who probably wouldn't have found her long-lost child if it hadn't have been for the hard work of those adoption-rights advocates that had gone before her... thankuthankuthanku <3

[bonnieco07]

Thank you!!!!!! Great video, very compelling... and loved seeing so many familiar and dear faces.

And I *never* forgot.....was calling out every night too.

[personaingrata]

love it!! thank you!!!

[AdopteeRightsPhilly]

Beautiful!

Thank you Scott, Zara, and Darryl for your hard work on this video.

We can't wait until July to see everyone in Kentucky for the Louisville Adoptee Rights Demonstration!

[RIADOPTEE]

This video is unbelievable!! Thank you so much Zara and Daryl for using your fame to bring attention to the cause of adoptee rights. Thanks to Scott for the footage from the Philly Adoptee Rights Demonstration. I'm glad to have been part of such a wonderful experience. I am proud to be associated with everyone who attended the Philly rally and all those who support adoptee rights and equal access.

[Barbieri1234567]

This could not be any better! The juxtaposition of Zara's "sweetness" and Darryl's "street smarts" will allow this video (and message) to reach the masses in a very broad way. And that scene with Judy Foster gave me chills! Love the Newark, NJ streets (my hometown). Kudos! Beautifully done in every way. - Carol Barbieri

[GayeSherman]

Awesome video! Thank you Scott, Zara and Darryl! Our voices will be heard!

[gina620]

Zara, you look, sound and are beautiful. Darryl is awesome. The song is fantastic.

AMAZING STUFF!!!!!

Love,

Penny

[kenyonjen]

Zara, Darryl, and Scott -

THANK YOU for this!!!  You three are amazing, and I feel so fortunate to have met you all last year. What a thrill to see the shot of me and my birthmom towards the end of the video, too! :-D

-jenna

[miminusbaum]

Zara and Darryl: thank you getting the message out that all adult adoptees should have the right to access their OBCs.

[Hunnification]

Thank you for this- all children deserve to know their roots and have their OBC-

[FauxClaud]

Amazing Video! Thank you!

I am so hionored to see so many of the smiles of the great people I have been honored to work with in quest for the true idenities of all adoptees! Can't wait until Kentucky!

[sabres4jeff]

Thank you Darryl, Zara, and Scott! You did an absolutely wonderful job of this video!

I'll admit to being very humbled and honored to be seen in this! Your efforts promoting our cause is making a HUGE impact! Thank you!

Jeff

[lucy1029]

Outstanding video Scott, Zara and DMC. Thank you for all your hard work on the Original Birth Certificate cause. I am sure we have just taken 1 big giant step toward the goal.