What do you think of considering race/culture in adoption?

Question

This is a question for adoptees, PAP, APs, First Parents everyone. I'm an adoption social worker (and foster care)....10 years ago when I started we were to address the issue of race...then we weren't and now we are again.

What do you think of considering race/culture in an adoption assessment for the placement of children.

I'm not saying that it would be that children were ONLY placed with same culture families...and that it would be the ONLY criteria....but do you feel it should be considered at all and why?

Answer 1

I think the best interests and needs of the child are most important in determining placement. I don't think that necessarily means that one race is better for a child than another race (or transracial adoption). However, as someone questioned here the other day...the important thing that has been lost through DSS...is the necessary education on your child's history/background/culture. While we spent a measly 14 hours 'training' to be parents through DSS, we spent absolutely NO time discussing how to properly introduce our child to a culture that is entirely different from our own...how to help him adjust and cope with the effects of growing up in a caucasian family and not looking remotely like us...in features or pigmentation. While we are personally very aware of his need to understand and identify with his history and culture, we were never told anything about it. I think that if we are going to be 'colorblind' when it comes to placing children, then at the very least, we need to make sure that--while our family may be the best family for him--our family also needs to understand and follow through with educating him about his own unique identity...b/c our ultimate goal should be about placing and raising happy and healthy children who are proud to be exactly as they are.

ETA: Possum: thanks so much for the link. Great article...and I agree wholeheartedly!

Answer 2

I think it should be considered as a matter of training or education for the adoptive parents.   If a child is going to be raised by parents of a different race, it's up to the adoptive parents to try to foster a positive sense of ethnic identity and pride. Adoptive parents need training, education and resources in order to do this.  Also, the piece about ethnic skin and hair care is often overlooked.  Not saying that adoptive parents need to be able to do cornrows or microbraids, but they should understand that the hygiene needs of an AA child is different than a caucasian child.  

I don't think that foster/adoptions transracially should stop, but rather that the adoptive parents are better educated on the challenges of transracial adoption so that they can address those needs.  I think that's far preferable than pretending they don't exist.  Parental love may be colorblind, but the rest of the world isn't.

ETA: I've said before that I was absolutely boggled that foster adoption training specifically does NOT include addressing racial/ethnic/cultural issues and needs, while international adoption training is almost all about those things.

Perspective international adoptive parents ARE asked to do all the self examination and prepare a way to address the cultural needs of the children they adopt, which is exactly what the foster care system was sued for.  Just blows my mind how the way of addressing these needs is to simply not talk about it.

Answer 3

I just read a post by a Trans-Racial Adoptee (TRA) - Harlow's Monkey - today. (she was born and adopted from Korea)

I agree whole-heartedly with what she says in this post - about this same issue.

Here is the link -

http://harlowmonkey.typepad.com/harlows_...

Answer 4

I agree with Possum and Harlow's monkey.

Absolutely, race and culture should be considered in adoption.  I would have no problems with first considering prospective adoptive parents of the same race first.  I would have loved to take any course on racial issues, cultural diversity, and hair care before adopting our first daughter!

I would be ecstatic to say love is enough, but it isn't.  This is not how the world views our children.  It is essential to have racial pride and cultural education in combatting racism in America.  How can i teach my daughter about being "black" in America, when i have no experience with the issue?  Am i just supposed to pretend racism doesn't exist?  As a white person in America are you concerned when a cop pulls you over? no.  For my non-white children, its a huge concern of mine.  Its just different.

We questioned every scenario we could think of before adopting.  How would we handle and burning cross in our front yard, our child being called the "n" word on her first day of kindergarten, and how would we handle the nasty glares we would get just walking down the street?  

How come you don't see black skinned Jesus statues and pictures?  Who are the top three influencial African American men and top three women, not in entertainment, music or sports?  How come good things such as wedding dresses and baptismal outfits are white and bad things like funerals and witches/devils wear black? Why does the black guy always die first in scary movies? When is the African American disney princess movie coming out?

How diverse is your church, school, and town?  How many pictures of brown skinned people do you have hanging on your wall?  Magazines?  How diverse are your friendships?  How about the music you listen to, tv shows you watch, and children's books?

Have i proved my point?  No matter how many classes you offer, culture assessments and books these prospective adoptive parents are given it won't be enough, but it sure as heck would be a great place to start.  This is a serious issue and a serious committment to racial/culture idenitity and pride should be addressed/taught/assessed with pap's considering transracial adoption.

Answer 5

In my younger days, I would have said no, it wasn't necessary, however, I am a DJ, and recently have done some parties for the Asian-American Society in our small town area.  I was amazed at the pride not only in their own cultures (there were individuals there from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Pacific Islanders, Hawaii, and more), they were very proud to be Americans.  It was very interesting to see the women (and a few of the men) dress in their country's traditional costumes, and their dances, and to know about their customs.  It was part of them.  I would now want to offer to allow a child to explore where they came from, however, if the child were uncomfortable, I'd leave it up to them.  I would always have pictures and reference materials available to them, however, I would never Make them go to a meeting or anything.  I believe that if I didn't give the prospective child an opportunity to know more about their own heritage, that I wouldn't be wanting that part of that child around me, which can hurt the child badly.  A PAP must be educated on the culture of the child.

Answer 6

Well, the "experts" may have a different opinion but personally, I don't think race should matter at all.  A loving family is a loving family regardless of colour.

My oldest is adopted from India.  My wife and I are your typical WASPS so we have had some looks over the years.  Nothing bad mind you, just people being quizzical.

My middle daughter was born to us so there is naturally a contrast between us all.

My youngest is adopted as well and she is First Nations (north american indian).  Our social worker said she wanted her to come to us since we were already a "blended family".  My wife and I literally looked at each other then looked at the worker and asked what she meant.  We were that "out of it" since we had never considered our family like that.  We were just a family, plain and simple.  No hyphen, no qualifiers, no explainations.    

My point is, I don't think race needs to be considered in most cases.  Of course, there are going to be some situations where it may be important but I think in a lot of cases "we" (being the parents and the system) make more out of it then needs to be.

Answer 7

Should it? Yes,but if the child can be placed in a loving home than it shouldn't not be placed, just because the parents are the wrong race or culture. I just hope that racism does not come in to play when trying to place a child. For me, before i was adopted, a case worker was trying to prevent it because she felt i was better off in an orphange than to be with two white parents. I'm so glad she didn't win! I have two loving parents and extended family. I wouldn't trade them for the world. Do i wish they understood me better because our cultures were different? Yes, but that doesn't mean i think trans-racial adoption is wrong.

Answer 8

I think that if it is possible to find good parents for a child that are the same race it should be persued as it will help the child feel part of the family and learn about their culture.  However I think that parents can adopt a child of a different race sucessfully, they do need to research the culture and try to keep their child links to it some way though.