May 27 2008
Race and Adoption
A while back a law was enacted that made it easier for white parents to adopt black children. There was a reason for that law. The reason was there were many children of other than the white race that needed homes and families.
Old arguments are coming to light again over this law, saying that white parents cannot give a black child the same experiences that black parents could. They are probably right about that, but if there were enough black parents to adopt black children the law wouldn’t have been enacted in the first place.
The question comes down to this, is it better for a black child to remain in foster care growing up in many different households, or to be adopted by white parents and have a permanent family and home?
I’ve no doubt that black parents would be the perfect fit for a black child. I’ve also no doubt that those complaining about the law are mostly black themselves. Maybe instead of complaining about it they should solve the problem by adopting these children themselves instead of criticizing those who actually do.
This world is far from a perfect place and while this may not be a perfect solution it’s better than no solution at all.
2 Responses to “Race and Adoption”
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“but if there were enough black parents to adopt black children the law wouldn’t have been enacted in the first place.”
Actually, there are enough black parents, based on my own research, trying to adopt black children. They simply are not being APPROVED at the same rates as white parents. This country considers the “white way” to be the “All American” way when in actuality we are a very diverse culture and perhaps the definition of what are acceptable qualifiers for adoptive parents should be re-examined.
Interesting post.
www.singleinla.today.com
I agree with points in both the post and hauteness’ comment. I am white. There are multiple mixed race couples in my family (and circle of friends)and of course bi-racial children. I have to say that a totally white bread family would not be able to give a black child a big piece of their cultural history - unless they put a lot of effort into it. That’s where I believe the focus should be. Families adopting children should be given support (not monetary), advice, and be frequently checked up on about ways to teach a child about their culture - and their adoptive parents’ culture.
I watch my niece who is Irish and Mexican - her parents are linguists who speak Arabic and Korean and both have lived all over the world. She is only two, but she is surrounded by childrens shows with multiple languages (namely korean and spanish). She has so many bits of so many cultures in her environment. It’s a beautiful thing.
What I see in the US at least is as a “melting pot” all of us have lost huge parts of history. Especially as our country ages and we all belong to more and more ethnic groups, it’s very difficult to pass along knowledge to your kids and grandkids.
So in the case of white people adopting children of non-white ethnicities: They should be based on their ability to be good human beings, provide for a child, and then taught to be teachers. Hell, everyone who becomes a parent should be taught how to be better at it — watching the news for 10 minutes will confirm that.
Sorry, I got off on a tangent.