By Deborah Bailey,
AFRO Contributing Editor,
dbailey@afro.com

D.C. Courts held their 37th Annual Adoption Day on Nov. 18, marking the official creation of “forever families” in the District. The day was especially sentimental for Benita “Queen” Meadow, 50, and her two children, Mon’Asia (6) and Mon’trell (5). For Meadow, the celebration of adoptive families held at Anacostia’s riverfront in Southwest D.C. was a “full circle” moment in her life. 

Mon’Asia, and Mon’trell’s adoptions were finalized in 2022, but this year on Annual Adoption Day they received official certificates of adoption from Magistrate Judge Janet Albert. The certificates were given during the D.C. Court’s first in-person,  fun filled celebration of adoption since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adoptive families, children, D.C. Court judges and staff from the Department of Family Services celebrated a special taping of veteran journalist Barbara Harrison’s “Wednesday’s Child” television series. Families representing hundreds of children and families with finalized adoptions in 2022 and 2023 received their certificates of adoption.   

Meadow has been an adoptive mom for almost two decades. Her first adopted child, Calista, is now 21 years old. Meadow adopted Calista 17 years ago from the D.C. Department of Child and Family Services.  

“I feel like I’m starting all over again,” she said. 

Life was full for Meadow who raised Calista along with her son, Marquis, who died at 18 in 2014 two weeks after collapsing on Morgan State University’s football field during practice. The freshman was a newly recruited football player at the Baltimore Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).  

“After the passing of my son in 2014, I still had a lot of mothering in me and wanted to love,” Meadow said.

“I started getting really active with the community and kids,” said Meadow, who said she called the D.C. Department of Family Services several years after Marquis’ death.  The agency welcomed her back to the program with open arms and this time around, encouraged her to do double duty.  

She was only expecting one child but made the decision to make sure the siblings were not separated.

“I went through the program again and never imagined I was going to get two,” Meadow exclaimed. “I was asked if I wanted to accept two and it’s just been a double blessing” she said referring to Mon’Asia and Mon’trell who have been together since birth. 

For D.C. Superior Court Chief Justice Anita Josey-Herring, the Adoption Day ceremony is a community celebration and triumph.

“These are amazing families whose lives have been forever changed. These families have opened their homes to children who might otherwise not be adopted and we celebrate them,” Josey-Herring announced to loud cheering as adoptive families were introduced.

“Many difficult things happen in Superior Court,” Josey-Herring said of the D.C. Superior Court system that handles both civil and criminal cases dealing with every kind of issue from landlord-tenant disputes and evictions to domestic violence, cases involving mental health,  assaults and more. 

 “The judges and staff try to keep our spirits up too, in spite of what we deal with on a regular basis,” Josey Herring said. 

“Adoption Day is publicly celebrated because we want to raise public awareness of the children we have in our system who need a permanent home,” she emphasized. 

Meadow and the other “forever family” members who celebrated at Saturday’s Annual Adoption Day ceremony want potential adoptive parents to know adoption is not hard, it just takes love. 

“If you have an open heart and an open home just do it. Don’t second guess it. A lot of kids don’t even have the opportunity to go to foster care, they are just on the streets,” Meadow said. “Everybody can adopt.  It just takes love. Having two makes it more exciting.”

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