KQED's Forum Tracy Clark-Flory’s “My Mother’s Daughter” Tells the Story of Finding Her Long-Lost Sister
May 8, 2026
Tracy Clark-Flory, journalist and essayist who wrote My Mother's Daughter, recounts searching for the sister her mother gave up in 1965. The conversation moves between 1960s adoption practices and present-day DNA reunions. Listens to archival voices, explores racial disparities, and describes the emotional first contact and how uncovering the past reshaped her family story.
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Homes For Unwed Mothers Enforced Erasure
- Homes for unwed mothers functioned as enforced erasure, hiding pregnant women until birth so families could avoid shame.
- Tracy Clark-Flory describes the Chicago Anchorage as a foreboding Victorian institution where women used false names and were isolated from their communities.
False Promise Of Redemption In Adoption Homes
- The institutional promise was false: women were told they'd be protected and could 'move on' after placing babies for adoption.
- Resident newspapers reveal solidarity and dark humor among women, like joking about mice in their rooms.
Race Determined Who Was Hidden Or Punished
- Racial dynamics shaped who was offered 'redemption': white unwed mothers were hidden and encouraged to place babies, while Black mothers faced criminalization and stigma.
- Tracy explains stereotypes of Black women's hypersexuality denied them the same option of concealment.
