Too Brown to Keep: Local author shares story of searching for her ancestry

23ABC's Imani Stephens sits down with a local author who shares her story of searching for her birth parents.

THAT MAY ASK ABOUT YOURFAMILY HEALTH HISTORY -- OR EVENWHO YOU ARE.23ABC'S IMANI STEPHENS SHARES ALOCAL WOMAN'S SEARCHAND DISCOVERY OF HERANCESTRY...."THOSE OF US THAT HAVE BEENABANDONED BY OUR BIRTH PARENTS,WHETHER WE'RE ADOPTED OR BEENADOPTED.

JUST ABANDONED PERIOD,WE REALLY WANT TO FIND OUT BIRTHPARENTS"A SEARCH FOR HER BIRTH PARENTS-- A PART MISSING FROMHER LIFE"WHO AM I?

BECAUSE THAT'S A BIGQUESTION THAT EVERYONE WANTSANSWERS"BORN IN A VILLAGE -- ABOUT 45MINUTES FROM FRANKFURT,GERMANYONE OF THE THOUSANDS -- OF BROWNBABIES -- BORN TO GERMANWOMEN AND AFRICAN- AMERICAN MENWHO WERESOLDIERS IN THE WORLD WAR TWOWAR"THE AFRO-NEWSPAPER,BALTIMORE NEWSPAPER WHERE WE AREADVERTISED THIS IS ME -- OURPICTURES WERE PUT IN THERE ALONGWITH OTHERS"AND FROM THIS NEWSPAPER --ACROSS SEAS -- STATES -- ANDTOWNS, A LOCAL COUPLE INBAKERSFIELD WHO COULD NOTCONCEIVE, SAW THIS VERY AD"I WAS GRATEFUL THAT MRS.GRAMMAR --REALLY TOOK IT ON HER ON OWNOVER 500 OF US, SHE ARRANGED OURADOPTIONS INTHE UNITED STATES"FROM ONE FLIGHT TO ANOTHER --LANDING BILLINGSLEY ANDHER SISTER HERE IN BAKERSFIELDAND SAYS SHE WOULDN'T HAVEWANTED LIFE ANY OTHER WAY -- SHEGREW UP ON SECOND STREETATTENDING LOCAL SCHOOLS -- ANDGRADUATING FROM GARCESMEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL"THEY REALLY OPENED THE DOOR FORUS TOLIVE IN TWO WORLDS"BUT THE RETURN HOME, WASN'T WHATSHE IMAGINED THETRIP TO BE LIKE"WHEN I FOUND MY BIRTH MOTHERANDMET HER IN GERMANY, WE HIRED ANINTERPRETER AND WE HAD QUESTIONSWEWANTED TO ANSWER AND SHE SATSTONED-FACE HAD HER ARMS FOLDED.SHE DID NOT REALLY WANT TOCONNECT WITH US IN ANY WAY, ANDAS MOSTADOPTEES KNOW THAT IS A SECONDREJECTION""DID EITHER PARENT EVER GIVE YOUSOMETYPE OF APOLOGY OR?""NO...NO." "I DON'T.

I THINKTHAT PEOPLEMAKE DECISIONS, THE BESTDECISIONS THAT THEY CAN DURINGTHEIR TIME"AND WHILE THE BOOK IS TITLED'TOO BROWN TO KEEP' -- SHE SAYSHER SEARCH FOR HER ROOTS, HAVELED HER TO LOVE, FORGIVE ANDHEALIN BAKERSFIELD, I'M IMANISTEPHENS, 23ABC NEWS,CONNECTING YOUON JANUARY 29TH, THE AUTHOR OF'TOO BROWN TO KEEP' WILLHOST A BOOK DISCUSSION ATDAGNY'S COFFEE SHOP ON 20THSTREET IN BAKERSFIELD.A LOCAL RESTAURANT IS ASKING FORTHE PUBLIC'S HELP TO