Family law expert hosts film screening Sept. 23

Professor Susan Appleton, JD, in connection with her course at the School of Law, “Adoption & Assisted Reproduction,” will be hosting a film screening of Lost Sparrow with panel discussion immediately following at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in Anheuser-Busch Hall, Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom.

Little Sparrow is a personal documentary that explores the adoption of Native American children by nonnatives, the quest to understand a family tragedy, and the discovery of a family secret.

Panelists for the post-film discussion will include four members of the WUSTL community: two Native American students affiliated with the Buder Center for American Indian Studies (law student Abigail Smith and social work student Gabrielle Allan), an attorney on staff at the National Indian Child Welfare Association (Addie Smith, JD/MSW ’12), and the adoptive parent of a Native American son (Cheryl Block, professor of law).

The event is inspired by the Supreme Court’s decision last term in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, and it is supported by the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital.

All are welcome to attend the screening and discussion. To learn more about Lost Sparrow, visit the film’s website: lostsparrowmovie.com.