*Subject to Change
Il Mio Posto a Tavola – My Place at the Table
NASW member Santo D.
Marabella
knew he was adopted at age
four but the desire to find his origin grew after his parents died at the start
of the COVID-19 pandemic and he lost a beloved pet. After investigating, he
learned he was adopted from Italy during the Baby Scoop Era of 1950 to 1970.
The Catholic Church in Europe put children born out of wedlock up for
adoption, often sending them abroad. Marabella, working with fellow
NASW
member and filmmaker Tracy Schott
, decided to do a documentary about his
journey to find and reconnect with his birth family in Italy. The film explores
loneliness, isolation and the need for connection. You
can
find out more about the film
on NASW’s Social Workers Speak and its official website.
Santo D. Marabella lives in northeast Pennsylvania and is available to attend the film and answer audience questions. It may be good to have an adoption expert on the panel with him. This issue is popular because there are several TV shows about ancestral origin and adoptees looking to find their birth families.