Why Korean author Cindy Wilson, who was raised in the US, feels ‘culturally black’

Cindy Wilson, author of Too Much Soul: The Journey of an Asian Southern Belle, was born I Wol-yang in Seoul and adopted by African-American parents in 1975 when she was a few months old. Her name was changed to Cindy and she was brought to America by her adoptive parents the following year.

Unlike some other adoptees who have spent a great deal of time and energy to find their birth parents, Wilson has never tried to find her roots. She said she considers her adoptive parents, not birth parents, to be her true family. Raised in Mississippi, Wilson identifies as being part of the African-American community even though she is Asian.

In a recent interview, she spoke about her upbringing, how it has affected her journey to find her true self and her book which was published in 2018.

You appear to be more outgoing and positive than the other adoptees I've interviewed. Could you please tell me about your upbringing?

One thing I've learned since meeting other Korean adoptees is that all of our experiences are different. It has been interesting hearing about the trauma of some Korean adoptees. As human beings we all experience and process things differently, but I do think that my upbringing had a lot to do with my outlook on life. I was very involved in different activities and was a cheerleader from high school through college, so that definitely helped to shape me as an outgoing person.

I think that my mum was that example of being strong, confident and fearless, so it allowed me to see that as a woman of colour, although I am not African-American like my mother, that I could also overcome adversities. I also am a huge proponent of therapy and self-care, and have been going since I was in my twenties and am definitely still a work in progress, but I for sure put in the work.