Transracial Adoption

Cultural genocide is defined as, "The deliberate destruction of the cultural heritage of a people or nation for political or military reasons." The National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) believe cultural genocide is being committed every time White parents are permitted to adopt a Black child. In the book "The Case For Transracial Adoption", Dr. Rita J. Simon cites the NABSW statement, "Transracial adoption is a massive conspiracy on the part of the White community to steal Black children." Is the intent to steal Black children or to fulfill a mutual need?
In 1948, fulfilling a mutual need was cited as the reason for the first recorded incidence of White parents adopting a Black child in the United States. Since that time, transracial adoptions rapidly increased until the early 1970's when the NABSW demanded that no Black child be placed in a White home for any reason. The group was successful in dramatically reducing the incidence of transracial adoptions, which in turn, severely overtaxed the existing foster care program and caused many Black children to remain in unsafe home environments for the lack of "acceptable" alternatives. P.B. a Black insurance executive from Philadelphia (who wishes to remain anonymous) stated she would rather see a child spend his or her entire childhood in foster care than to be raised by White parents. Despite such harsh criticism, comprehensive studies have proven Whites to be effective parents for Black children, with the children reaching adulthood well adjusted and culturally informed.
In order to raise a well adjusted Black child, White parents recognize the importance of making the child comfortable in his or her own skin. Because Black children will face challenges that other children will never experience, White parents have a special responsibility to nurture and strengthen their self image. As a White parent of a Black daughter, I cannot completely understand what it means to be Black. Like most White people, I do not focus on my skin color. It does not enter my mind during the day that I am White. The reason for this, is that my White skin is not part of my day-to-day experiences. Black people do not have the luxury of being complacent about skin color. I first became aware of this when I took my daughter to visit an acquaintance in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During the 600 mile drive, I stopped for lunch at a fast food restaurant in a small town off the interstate. My daughter was three months old, and as I carried her into the restaurant, people around me stopped talking, stopped eating, stopped whatever they were doing, and turned to stare at us. I was shocked as I looked into their White faces and saw hatred and anger. My plan had been to relax and eat at the restaurant, but fearing for our safety I took our food and quickly left. I had not realized the sight of a White mother and a Black baby could incite such negative emotion. I also had not realized that, even today, unlike White people, Black people cannot simply stop at any restaurant, off any stretch of highway, and eat wherever they choose. For their own safety, Black people have learned not to be complacent about their skin color.
Though my daughter cannot afford to be complacent about her skin color, I have taught her to appreciate the rich sepia color of her skin, her large black eyes, and her long black hair. I have also taught her to enjoy the diversity of our world, to love herself as a daughter of God, and to discover the many talents with which she has been blessed. Although I cannot always be with her to protect her from the ugly realities of prejudice, I help her to understand that race is only one aspect of who she is.
Though race is only one aspect of our identity, it plays an important role in developing a well adjusted Black child. It is important to a child's self esteem, that he or she have positive relationships with people who look like them. Jaiya John, a Black man who was one of the first to be adopted by White parents in the United States, grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico where there were very few other Blacks. He recounted an experience in his book, "Black Baby White Hands" when he saw another Black child. He said, "Those rare times when I experienced a 'Black sighting', a strange mix of emotions ran through me. Excitement came on, like when you are in a place where no one speaks your language, and finally one person appears who can understand you." His experience illustrates how alien he felt having black skin when those around him did not. Today's White parents place a high priority on residing in diversely rich neighborhoods and enrolling their Black children in schools where they have a high percentage of Black classmates and teachers. This has greatly improved the well being of Black children and increased the success of transracial adoptions. In spite of the documented studies, there are still those who remain skeptical and who have made attempts over the years to ban transracial adoption.
Though the attempts to ban transracial adoption have been many, White parents achieved a legal triumph when, in 1996, Congress passed a law prohibiting "race, color, or national origin" from being factors in adoption run by any state, or state subsidized organization. Dr. Simon was one of those who testified before Congress in support of the new law. As a professor of public affairs at American University in Washington D.C. and the publisher of more than 50 books, Dr. Simon conducted extensive studies on the effects of transracial adoption during a 20 year period. She interviewed 206 transracial adoptive families and found overwhelmingly positive results. When compared to Black adoptive parents of Black children (inner-racial adoption), White adoptive parents were found to involve their Black children in far more cultural awareness activities. These activities included taking their Black children to Black history museums, reading and teaching the children about famous Black Americans, attending African dance, theater, and musical performances. In addition, Clark Doll Testing showed Black children adopted by White parents identified Black dolls as being, "smart", "pretty", "nice", and "most desired". The Clark Doll Test was designed by a Black couple, Kenneth and Maime Clark in the 1940's to validate the damaging effects of segregation. The test involved placing Black and White dolls on a table in front of a Black child and asking him or her to choose which doll was "smart", which doll was "pretty", which doll was "nice", and which one they most wanted to take home with them. When the test was conducted in the 1940's and 1950's, Black children nearly always chose the White dolls for all four responses. The contemporary test results performed for transracially adopted children indicated they were well adjusted and felt a healthy connection to their Black culture.
In light of the evidence that Black children are being successfully raised by White parents to be well adjusted and culturally informed, those who continue to oppose transracial adoptions need to examine their own biases and ask what are their true objections? Do they really believe it is more advantageous for a Black child to languish in foster care than to be raised by loving White parents? Dr. Simon ended her twenty year study with this comment, "...it would be wonderful to be able to report that policies have changed and that transracial adoptions have become accepted and widespread. Unfortunately, that latter has not happened, and there are no signs that the NABSW has softened or changed its stand on transracial adoption. Even as thousands of Black children continue to spend years in institutions and foster care, the NABSW continues to adhere to its 1971 position that institutionalization and foster care are better than transracial adoption. One can only continue to wonder - better for whom?"
My daughter and I are convinced that leaving her in foster care would not have been better for either one of us. Not long ago, while I was getting ready for work, she came in my room and asked, "What color is God?" I replied by asking, "What color do you think He is?" She thought for a moment and said, "Well, if we are created in His image, like the Bible says, His color must be a mixture of all our colors." Her answer assured me that I am on the right path in raising her to have a healthy view of diversity. Perhaps, with enough time, the controversy over transracial adoption will subside and it will be a widely accepted fact that White parents can successfully raise well-adjusted, culturally informed Black children. We can only hope.