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For the Wilson family, the adoption journey began in 2008 when Phyllis Wilson fostered Jayden, then a 2-week-old infant, through the District of Columbia Courts.

Wilson, who was present during the District’s 38th annual Adoption Day on Saturday, Nov. 23,  began raising the infant, aiming to provide a stable, nurturing environment for him, and eventually decided to adopt him at 2 years old in April 2010. 

“I just wanted to be a foster parent, but … he’s all we knew, and we were all that he knew,” Wilson, 72, told The Informer. “We had all of his history from birth on … he needed to stay with us. It just became important, and we didn’t want to let him go.”

In 2019, nine years after her nephew joined the family, Wilson’s sister, Carolyn Woods heeded the call to adopt 18-month-old Warrior, who is also Jayden’s brother.

“It’s growth, because I was going to be the jet setter who was going to travel. I had no idea, no plans to have a child at all,” said Woods during the Adoption Day event at Moultrie Courthouse in Northwest D.C. “Now I’m in the process of renewing my license so that I can have another child in the home with him.”

During Saturday’s event, themed “Families Forever by Choice,” Wilson’s daughter, Tracie Wilson-Brockington, followed in her mom and aunt’s footsteps when she officially adopted Jayden and Warrior’s baby sister: 1-year-old Jessey.

“We’re not against bringing other children in, but what we have started here is kinship. They’re all siblings, so it was important to keep them all together,” said Wilson-Brockington, as she and her big, blended family officially welcomed baby Jessey. 

The energy in Moultrie Courthouse was nothing short of joyful and heartwarming, as community leaders, families and 64 adoptees like Jessey gathered in recognition of newly formed “forever families” across the District. 

“We celebrate because we know the immeasurable importance of children. We celebrate today because we know that when children are supported by families who love them, they have a better opportunity to grow and to thrive,” said Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith.

Serving as the celebration’s keynote speaker, Smith emphasized the magnitude of the moment.

“Sixty-four families,” she said with awe and pride. “You’re going to be the impetus to change the lives of our young people here in the District of Columbia. We need you now more than we’ve ever needed you before.”

Local Leaders Get Personal, Emphasize Finding Foster Children ‘Forever Homes‘

With live entertainment and individual certificate officiations, the 38th annual celebration was a reflection of the joy of building families, as much as the critical call to continue advocating for children in need. 

In addition to Smith, event speakers included: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, an adoptive parent since August 2019; District of Columbia Courts’ Chief Judge Milton C. Lee, Associate Judge Darlene Solyts, and the Honorable Kelly A. Higashi; and other officials from the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA). Many speakers magnified the moment by offering heartfelt remarks and ceremonial tributes of new beginnings.

For the District’s first Black woman chief of police, the opportunity to be present at the ceremony served as an intervention of divine timing. 

Smith delivered a powerfully transparent speech, opening up about her own challenging experience in the foster care system before she was adopted by, who she calls, her “biggest cheerleaders.” 

“It was this week, over 30 years ago, where I entered the foster care system, and I spent over six months in foster care before a pastor and his wife thought enough of my brother and myself to adopt us,” Smith said. “And that family has…been an instrumental part of my life in every aspect and everything that I’ve done.”

D.C. Adoption Day recognizes the sometimes complex, yet fruitful journey of foster children finding a forever home, a fulfillment for 144 children in the District this past year, according to . 

While she was there to officialize Jessey’s adoption, Wilson-Brockington, 51, emphasized her family’s dedication to helping all children in need through fostering and spreading love.

“It’s still important for us to keep doing foster care,” she told The Informer. “As long as we have the space, and we always have the love, we’ll keep doing it.”

According to Tanya Trice, Interim Director of CFSA, about 542 children are still in the District’s foster care system, and 42 of them are seeking adoptive services. 

Additionally, CFSA has shown that, as of quarter four of Fiscal Year 2024, 83% of children in the foster care system are Black or African American. 

Mayor Bowser said she considers her choice to adopt: “the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.” 

She called on adoptive parents to be ambassadors of the adoption process and continue telling their stories to support youth still in the system. 

“Families, they don’t all look the same, they don’t all come about in the same way, but if you have love in your heart to give, you can be a family – and family by adoption is just an incredible gift,” said the mayor. 

‘The Power of Adoption’ in Protecting Black Youth’s Future 

Because of her journey, Smith, an Arkansas native, is passionate about the vitality and safety of District youth, and is committed to sustaining relationships with childcare services like CFSA. 

“My prayer today is that we continue to promote the awareness and the understanding and the acceptance of what it truly means to give the gift of adoption,” Smith said. “Together, we can and will build a bright future for our children, ensuring that they are loved, that they are safe, they are supported, and most importantly, that they are chosen every single day.”

Alexia Wilson, daughter of Wilson-Brockington, underscored the need for more positive visibility in the District with celebrations like D.C. Adoption Day, and how it can make a difference in the lives of underserved youths.

“You hear about the rise in crime in the area…but you don’t hear about the good things that are happening with the youth,” Alexia told The Informer. “[Visibility] is great to build community, to see that other people are going through the same process…and to let people know that…it is something to be celebrated and applauded. To be able to give a child a solid foundation in a home is more than anybody could ask for.”

In her remarks as an officiant for the day, Judge Soltys emphasized the truly transformational and empowering nature of adoption for District families.

“Such beautiful and smart children [are] now and forever part of so many amazing families— families that are now complete with loved ones who are providing that forever home where anything and everything is possible,” said Soltys. “That is the power of adoption.”

For more information on fostering or adopting, call 202-671-LOVE (202-671-5683).