Not Equal: Civil Rights Gone Wrong

FINDING PURPOSE
Ryan grew up in a Christian transracial home in Pennyslvania with 12 other siblings – 9 of whom were adopted, including him.  When Ryan was 13 he found out his biological mom was raped yet she courageously gave him a chance at life by placing him for adoption (Ryan was adopted at 6 weeks old).  The news devastated him.  “Had I not felt the love of my parents, I would have fallen apart,” says Ryan.  “The whole narrative of my life, who I thought I was, was destroyed.  It was one of those defining moments.”  Shortly thereafter, Ryan had to give a persuasive speech in school about abortion.  “I told my story and watched everyone’s reactions,” he says.  “It was then I understood I had a story to tell, and needed to tell it, but didn’t know how I was going to tell it.”  

Over the years, Ryan says everyone knew who the Bombergers were.  “We stood out a lot,” says Ryan who has siblings of different races including Vietnamese, Black, White, Albino and special needs.  His family owned a local store.  “People knew our family and were willing to accept what was different,” he ssays.  Seven of the 9 adopted siblings were adopted as newborns or toddlers out of the foster care system.   Two were adopted as teens.  “We dealt with racism,” says Ryan who believes racism is a form of ignorance.  “My parents taught us that we were more than this superficial shell on the outside,” he says.  “They never wanted to shy away from these things but rather to confront them with compassion and a Christ-like approach.” One thing Ryan knew: he and his siblings found so many things in common.  “When you have a mixture of people and different life experiences, the family culture becomes something entirely different.”  

HELPING OTHERS FIND PURPOSE
Through the years, Ryan says he has always gotten involved.  “There’s always been something inside of me when I perceive what could be some type of injustice,” he says.  “I’ve always wanted to right a wrong.”  He says mainstream media won’t tell the truth about certain social issues, one of them being abortion.  More black babies are aborted in New York City than born alive (last year was the first time the number of abortion of black babies didn’t exceed the number of live births).  “The nation’s largest black civil rights groups have done nothing to stop the epidemic,” says Ryan. He says the unborn babies are the most marginalized minorities and that civil rights groups refuse to fight for them.  Ryan cites that recent studies show 79% of Planned Parenthood abortion centers are located in predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods.  “How can these so-called leaders advocate the destruction of unarmed black lives, the number one killer in the African-American community, and call it Reproductive Justice?” says Ryan.  “There’s not a peep from the media who is crying racism.”  

Ryan and Bethany educate people on social issues through their Radiance Foundation.  They utilize billboards, media, events and other means to inspire people to find their God-given purpose.  One of their first outreaches, toomanyaborted.com campaign, exposes the lies of Planned Parenthood’s history and forces conversation about this topic.  “We are all created with purpose, designed for a life of meaning,” says Ryan.  “Purpose is the motivating force behind what we do.”