Myth: All adoptions are created equal. The desire on the part of some to have families be a certain way (meaning biological) and look a certain way meaning they match) is really challenged by trans-racial adoption.It doesn't matter how enlightened we are within our homes, a family that doesn't match will still experience bias. Cultural myopia doesn't always allow others to see us as a family, no matter how much we feel like one. Anytime we love someone from another race, through trans-racial adoption, interracial marriage, or friendship, we are forever changed. We are no longer mono-racial. As a result,we begin to see the racism and prejudice that always existed but never before showed up on our radar screen. We can't teach our children how to be something we're not, but we can make concerted efforts to find role models and culturally appropriate opportunities. The experience greatly enhances all of the lives it touches.And this is from Adoption and African American Children, a post from The Republic of T, an adoptive parent.
Americans pay as much as $35,000 to adopt white or Chinese infants. But many African American children ... have difficulty finding permanent U.S. families at any price. Since the early 1990s, several hundred have found homes —with white parents — in Canada.An adoptive parent I talked to recently gave me some websites she used to find listings of infants available for adoptions. Here's a sample:The irony of one of the world’s wealthiest nations exporting its own children has not gone unnoticed. For many, it raises questions about identity,race and the tangled legacy of American slavery.
Margaret Fleming, director of a Chicago agency called Adoption-Link that specializes in African American adoptions, has placed 70 black children with white Canadians since 1993. “There is no shortage of American families willing to adopt,” she said. “There is a shortage of American families willing to adopt these kids.”
Michelle, Chicago, IL due Aug 31st with a full AA boy. She has placed before and is parenting 3 children with her husband, who is the birth father. No drugs or alcohol. She is on Medicaid. She will need living assistance of around $2500. Total fees approx. $13,500, not including travel or finalization.
-------- COMMENT-AUTHOR:Aside from the wierdness of seeing this kind of thing on the internet (though I understand it helps a lot in finding placements for babies needing homes), I've noticed that the listings for white babies end in numbers that tend to be at least twice as high.
How do you reconcile all of this? It's beyond dumbfounding (in my white world) to really be confronted with this kind of blatant racism.
FemiKnitMafia
COMMENT-DATE:10:41 AM
COMMENT-BODY:I am actively questioning my desire to have a 'matching' family. Shit. Thanks for making me think outside of my little white box. Shit.
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