Letters to Stolen L❤️ved Ones
In March 2025, the MJCF: Coalition launched "Letters to Stolen Loved Ones"—a national writing project that offers parents and relatives a sacred space to speak their truth. At its heart, this project is a reclamation of voice, memory, and connection for those impacted by the child welfare system. Parents write letters to the children who were taken from them—whether through forced adoption, CPS intervention, or the broader family policing system. These are not letters of closure, but of love, grief, resistance, and truth.
The project also includes “Love Letters to the Ones I Lost”, written by former foster youth and adoptees—now adults—who were separated from their families through state-sanctioned removal and or legal orphanhood. These letters hold the stories of those who carry the weight of loss, longing, and identity. They are letters to biological families, to the past selves left behind, and to the systems that tried to silence them.
This project is a continuation of a long legacy of resistance and family reunification. After slavery, formerly enslaved Black people placed newspaper ads searching for their stolen loved ones—children, parents, siblings, and spouses—ripped from them through bondage. That history of searching, remembering, and reclaiming echoes through this work. The Love Letter Writing Project affirms what the system tries to erase: These children were never unwanted—they were stolen. This is our modern-day act of love, defiance, and remembrance.
Where will the letters be shared?
📢Shared on social media
💌Sent to Coalition subscribers
📖Published in a book
If you’d like to write and submit a Love Letter we invite you to explore our Love Letter Writing Toolkit, which includes writing prompts and a media release form to support your process.
If you’re interested in making your letter public, please complete the media release form included in the toolkit and email your letter to
mj@mjcfcoalition.com with the subject line: Love Letter Submission.
Approved letters may be shared through our newsletters, featured on social media, and/or included in future publications such as books or digital archives. You can access the full toolkit—including the media release—here on our website at the bottom of the page.
We look forward to honoring and amplifying your story.