Dr Indigo Willing is the founder of Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI) which was established in 2000. She received a Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2006 for her volunteer work and returned it in a stance of support for LGBTIQ+ and First Nations Peoples in 2021. She is also involved with various community projects to connect and empower adoptees including through films, social events and a social/skating program. With an established academic profile in transnational adoption, Indigo’s research publications include co-written peer reviewed articles in Social Policy and Society, British Journal of Social Work, Michigan Quarterly Review, various book chapters and an edited collection (Jenny Wills Tobias Hubinette and Indigo Willing, 2020) published by University of Michigan Press. Indigo also writes about broader issues of migration, adoption, families and transnationalism (such as in Mobilities, Journal of Ethnicity and Migration, Journal of Sociology and Journal of Australian Studies).
International Adoption Research and Writings
Wills, Jenny, Hübinette, Tobias and Willing, Indigo, Eds, Book, (2020 – September) Adoption and Multiculturalism: Europe, the Americas and the Pacific, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Info: https://www.press.umich.edu/10032835/adoption_and_multiculturalism
Wills, Jenny, Hübinette, Tobias and Willing, Indigo, Chapter (2020), ‘Introduction’. In Adoption and Multiculturalism: Europe, the Americas and the Pacific. Edited book by J. Wills, T, Hübinette, and I. Willing. Minnesota: University of Michigan Press: 1 – 20.
Willing, Indigo Fronek, Patricia and Skrbiš, Zlatko, Chapter (2020) ‘Cosmopolitanism, Transnationalism and Racialised Belongings: A Study of Transnationally Adoptive Parents in Multicultural Australia’. In Adoption and Multiculturalism: Europe, the Americas and the Pacific. Edited book by J. Wills, T, Hübinette, and I. Willing. Minnesota: University of Michigan Press: 44 – 68.
Fronek, Patricia, Cuthbert, Denice and Willing, Indigo, (2015), ‘Intercountry adoption: Privilege, rights and social justice’. In The Intercountry Adoption Debate: Dialogues Across Disciplines. Edited by Ballard, R. L., Goodno, N. H., Cochran, Jr., R. F, & Milbrandt, J. A. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 348 – 365
Chau, A, Willing, I and others (2015) Vietnamese Adopted. CQT Media And Publishing and LGA Inc, Minneapolis, USA. (Forward pp 1 – 6) with Chau, Adam (chief ed) and Forward by Willing, Indigo plus contributors Kolbe, Anh Dao, Golding, Dominic, Holtan, Tim, Wolfgang, Cara, Minh, Kevin Allen, Sharp, Landa and Nhat, Michael
Willing, Indigo and Fronek, Patricia, (2014), ‘Constructing Identities and Issues of Race in Transnational Adoption: The Experiences of Adoptive Parents’, The British Journal of Social Work. 44 (5): 1129-1146 doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcs171
Willing, Indigo, Fronek, Patricia and Cuthbert, Denise, (2012), ‘Review of Sociological Literature on Intercountry Adoption’ Social Policy and Society. 11 (4): 241 – 256
Willing, Indigo, (2009), ‘The Celebrity Adoptions Phenomenon: Emerging Critiques from ‘Ordinary’ Adoptive Parents’. In Other People’s Children: Adoption in Australia. Edited by Spark, C and Cuthbert, D. Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing. pp 241 – 256
Willing, Indigo, (2006), ‘Beyond the Vietnam War Adoptions: Representing Our Transracial Lives’. In Outsiders Within: Racial Crossings and Adoption Politics. Edited by Trenka, J, Oparah, C and Shin, S. Y, Cambridge, MA: South End Press. pp. 275 – 285
Willing, Indigo, (2005), ‘From Orphaned China Dolls to Long Distance Daughters’, in Defending Our Dreams: Global Feminist Voices for a New Generation, Edited by Wilson, S. and Sengupta, A., London: Zed Books. pp. 95 – 109
Willing, Indigo, (2004), ‘The Adopted Vietnamese Community: From Fairytales to the Diaspora’, Michigan Quarterly Review– Special Edition – Viet Nam: Beyond the Frame, Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Journal, Fall. 43 (4): 648 – 664 https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=mqr;c=mqr;c=mqrarchive;idno=act2080.0043.421;view=text;rgn=main;xc=1;g=mqrg
Viet Adoptee Community Network
- Founder, Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI)
Facebook Community Page: https://www.facebook.com/AdoptedVietnameseInternational/
Facebook Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4501598968/
Website: www.adoptedvietnamese.org
AVI website is currently in historical archives mode / new updates being rolled out in 2021 with delays due to COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Background:
Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI) was launched in April 2000 on the 25th anniversary of end the Viet Nam War. AVI is a volunteer network that is dedicated to Vietnamese adoptees from past generations to today. The AVI network aims to offer a range of Internet resources, creative projects, adoptee events and research in order to support adoptee perspectives and community development.
AVI was the first Vietnamese adoptee focused network in Australia and one of the first in the world to be created. Starting modestly using the technology of the time (AOL and Yahoo Groups) the network has moved with the times and now has a website and various social media sites including a Facebook Discussion Group with over 1000 members.
Return trips to Vietnam are a common desire for adoptees and in 2001 AVI organized for a small group of six adopted Vietnamese to visit Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to explore their city of birth, meet people who worked with children in orphanages and to support each other as they searched for parts of their past.
In 2002 to 2003 I was awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship (alternative residency – taking two trips to Boston) to develop research and representation of Vietnamese adoptees. In the program I worked with an amazing community of individuals telling their story for a virtual collection of Vietnamese adoptee personal narratives. The collection featured individuals from Australia, America, the United Kingdom and France who reflected on their lives as adoptees and also on issues such as combating racism and negotiating cross cultural identities. This experience also led to a virtual collection of more adoptee narratives for a special online commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam War in 2005. In recognition of the growing, vibrant community of adoptees for whom the work of AVI is dedicated, it was an honour to be awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia in October 2006 for service to the community.
AVI continues to be actively run with a focus on offering social networking opportunities for Vietnamese adoptees via various social media platforms.
More recent activities include in 2021 where AVI, led by Indigo, joined a team of Vietnamese Australians facilitated by Oakley Kwon to assist adoptee My Huong Le with a Go Fund to buy food packages in Vietnam for locals in her area during covid-19 lockdowns and the recovery periods. $16,000 AUD was raised.
Engaging Adoptee Youth Connections through Skateboarding
- Adoptees Rolling Out Skateboarding Program, sponsored by a Relationships Australia Community and ICAFSS Community Grant, Award October 2022 – June 2023. Project leader: Dr Indigo Willing. https://icafss.org.au/service-information
The award was given for engaging adoptee youth through skateboaring and art workshops in collaboration with We Skate QLD and Adopted Vietnamese International. Additional thank you for in-kind support and advice from ICAV (national and QLD group).
- Skate Coach, ‘Move and Shake Workshops’ for youth who are adopted and in foster care families, in June 2018 at Ramp Attak and June 2019 at Village Skatepark, QLD.
The ‘Move and Shake Workshops’ are organised by Anna Princess Kopein and hosted by Adoptee Lighthouse and the International Adoptive Families QLD Network. As a skate coach my role is to introduce participants, typically aged between 8 years – 18 years old, to skatepark etiquette, getting beginners to roll and feel confident and encouraging intimidate skaters with more experience to network with their peers through their shared love of skateboarding.
Adoption Film Festivals
In 2007 and 2009 I acted as Chair and coordinated film festivals that featured documentaries and short films made by adoptees about the topic of transnational adoption. This includes by Vietnamese adoptees Jessica Emmett who is based in Singapore (Row Your Boat) and Kim Noonan who is based in the United States (Running Dragon).
Full film festival programs available by request. Inter-country Adoptee Film Festivals were held in Melbourne at the Australian Catholic University, Brisbane at Logan Entertainment Centre and also at the Post Adoption Services Queensland Headquarters.
In partnership with Amadeo Marquez-Perez and Anna Davison I have also coordinated and held an inter country adoptee film making workshop as part of the International Adoptive Families ‘International Day’ festival in 2011.
Adoption Exhibitions
I was honoured to have some of my writing featured as a part of the 2015 – 2016 Operation Babyift Vietnam War exhibition at The Presidio, San Francisco, USA
https://www.presidio.gov/officers-club/exhibitions/creating-with-community
Adoption Interviews
Media interviews and podcasts includes:
The Birthing and Justice Podcast (2023). RMIT University. Interview by Dr Ruth DeSouza with Dr Jacynta Krakouer and Dr Indigo Willing. Topic First Nations children and Intercountry adoptees.13 January, 2023. Link here
The Vietnamese Podcast (2022). Interviewed by Kenneth Nguyen. 7 December 2022. Link here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1nT1hxm0uZ6qrrBp9v2Eli?si=2V8x8rV8SyKM8PwYQzP4TA
Event: Harvard Bookstore Event (2022) Hosted talk with Erika Hayasaki about her book Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity and the Meaning of Family, and Dr Indigo Willing discussing Vietnamese adoption. 18 October, Harvard University, Boston, US: https://www.harvard.com/event/erika_hayasaki/
University of Michigan Press, (2021) ‘Korean and Vietnamese Adoptees on the Intimate Racialized Politics of Transracial Adoption’, A discussion with author Jane Trenka, sociologist Dr Indigo Willing and artist kimura byol-nathalie lemoine about the re-release of the book Outsiders Within (2020 new edition by University of Minnesota Press, original from 2006). Downloaded from: https://soundcloud.com/user-760891605/ep-25-korean-and-vietnamese-adoptees-on-the-intimate-racialized-politics-of-transracial-adoption
Ravik, Naveen. 25 January, (2020) ‘Fitting in was a challenge for Vietnamese orphan Indigo, so she created her own community’. SBS News, Australia. Article link here / SBS Radio Audio link here / Video here on Twitter with captions in English language supplied. URL:https://www.sbs.com.au/news/fitting-in-was-a-challenge-for-vietnamese-orphan-indigo-so-she-created-her-own-community
Burgess, Melanie, 28 September, (2019). Story for QNews Weekend Magazine, The Courier Mail. Interviewed about research and volunteering in adoption and skateboarding. Print copy only (not online).
Interviewed on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio ‘Tangled Web’ Feature on Adoption, March 2011: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/hindsight/tangled-web-part-ii-the-sound-of-dissent/2997826
Interviewed on Vietnamese Adoption, ABC Radio, August 2008 https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/australiatalks/intercountry-adoptions/3201376
University of Queensland News article on PhD Research on adoption in 2005 – https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2005/03/aussie-families-open-hearts-and-homes
More updates to be added.
Dr Indigo Willing 