Thoughts? Is this a good thing or not? MBM

Sun, Nov. 28, 2004

Growing number of white parents adopt black babies

With few adoptable white babies available, an increasing number of white Canadians and Europeans, along with white Americans, are adopting American-born black or biracial infants.

BY ROBERTO SANTIAGO
rsantiago@herald.com

Cuddling her week-old son, Henry, Jane says she is ready to face the challenge of being a single white mother to a black child.

But right now, there are more important things to think about.

''Henry will always know who he is -- an African-American man raised by a white mother who adores him,'' she said. ``We'll handle the challenges that are ahead of us. But right now, I need to change his diaper.''

Jane is among a growing number of white couples and single women who are ready to become parents but find that there are not enough white babies to go around. So they decide to adopt a baby of a different race.

Although Jane is from Seattle, most prospective parents come from Western European countries and Canada, seeking to adopt black, Hispanic or biracial babies from private adoption agencies in the United States.

''Whether it is the United States or in Canada, our priority is to place a child in a wonderful, loving, supportive home,'' said Nidia Sica, assistant director of Adoption by Shepherd Care, a private adoption agency in Hollywood. ``We place our children with the best families out there.''

Most private U.S. agencies working with parents from Canada or overseas find that they place mainly black infants, followed by biracial and black Hispanic infants.

And white babies, including Hispanic infants -- in highest demand among American couples -- are generally adopted within the United States.

Shepherd Care's placement of mixed-race babies with white families almost doubled in 2000. Of the 40 babies it placed for adoption that year, 20 were mixed-race infants placed with white families in the United States or Canada.

Changes in federal laws make it easier to do cross-racial adoptions:

• The 1994 Multi-Ethnic Placement Act declared that adoption agencies that receive federal aid could no longer prevent families from adopting children of other races.

• In 1997, the Safe Families Act created financial incentives for states to choose adoption over foster care.

''Private adoption agencies decided to encourage transracial adoptions,'' Sica said. ``Many people still don't know that they don't have to go to China or the Ukraine to adopt a child. They can opt for transracial adoption.''

And the costs are in families' favor.

The average adoption of a healthy Caucasian baby can take years and fees can run as high as $40,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

For mixed-race children, it can take a few months and cost $10,000 to $18,000.

Private agencies cap their adoption fees for mixed-race infants.

Shepherd Care charges $8,500.

The cost of adopting a white baby can exceed $22,000, according to Sica.

This year, Shepherd Care placed half of its black infants (seven) and one-third of its biracial infants (four) in Canada, Sica said.

Adoption-Link of Oak Park, Ill., placed one-third of its mixed-race infants (20) in Canada, Germany, France and Austria, director Cheryl Kinnaird said.

Hope Services, an adoption agency in Abbotsford, British Columbia, works with private adoption agencies in the United States.

''Seventy percent of the [50] infants we place here are African American, and all are from the United States,'' said Lorne Welwood, Hope Services' director. ``All of our families are white, all of them want a child, and almost all who call specify they want a black child.''

Canadians prefer black babies because the adoption process is quicker, easier and less expensive than if they were opting for a child from China, Guatemala or Eastern Europe, Welwood said.

``Adoptive parents don't have to deal with visas, language or cultural barriers. They can get immediate access to the baby's medical records. They can get background information on the birth mother. And, above all, they can get an infant. Everyone wants an infant.''

The demand for black or mixed-race babies has also grown in the United States, particularly in Washington, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado, Michigan and Minnesota.

Adoption agencies place 30 to 40 children a year in those states, accounting for more than half of the infants not adopted from Canada or overseas.

''For whatever reason, those are the choice states,'' said Mary Porter, an international adoption recruiter for Shepherd Care.

''White parents are not on a mercy mission,'' said Jane Bareman, executive director of Adoption Associates in Jenison, Mich. ``They are not saving the world. Beyond anything else, white couples want to adopt a child and raise a family. They need a child in their lives.''

The demand is so high that Adoption Associates has a list of 12 white families waiting for a mixed-race child. In prior years, it has been four or five families.

''This is the highest we have ever had our waiting list,'' Bareman said.

Last year, Adoption Associates placed 130 babies domestically. Thirty-seven of those were mixed-race babies placed with white families, primarily in Michigan, with one going to Canada.

With such private adoption agencies as Shepherd Care, the birth mother gets to choose where her child will be placed.

That is why Jane, a human resources manager, feels especially privileged.

The birth mother picked Jane, a 43-year-old single woman, over married couples.

''She saw qualities in Jane that she loved,'' Sica said. ``A large, loving, extended family. An established career. She owns a beautiful home. And most of all, she was moved by Jane's lifelong need to become a mother.''

Some American birth mothers prefer Canadians over Americans.

Olvia, a 22-year-old Salvadoran-Dominican birth mother from Hollywood who is seven months pregnant, is choosing a young, successful Canadian couple over American candidates for her baby.

''What they offer is the kind of life I would want for my child if I could afford it,'' she said, fighting back tears.

Shepherd Care caseworker Michelle Campo and her husband adopted three black infants 15 years ago.

The Campos did not think that race would be much of an issue. They were quickly proved wrong.

''Race is an issue to other people,'' Michelle Campo said. ``They will make it an issue every single day of your life. I now understood the world through my children.''

This is a difficult issue. As much as I want to say race doesn't matter, I am inclined to believe that this is yet another strategy for whites to try and control Blacks. And what better way to do it than by beginning at childhood, when the mind is most susceptible and has a tendency to believe everything it is told. White adoption of Black babies is the perfect way to for whites to keep us down, and IMO it paves the way for a new generation of Uncle Toms.

I mean think about it, these Black kids...growing up and being raised solely by white people, they won't have that connection with their race like Black-raised folks do. Whose side will they be on? I damned sure don't think it will be ours. But maybe someone who was raised by white people and came out okay can fill me in and correct me if I'm wrong.

I think that this piece is particularly timely given several recent comments about the importance of the black family. I seldom if ever hear any sustained effort to encourage African Americans to adopt black children. My new wife and I have talked about this at length. While we will try to get pregnant in about two years, we also will probably adopt at least one child.

There have been some African American leaders who have raised the issue in the past. Father George Clements in Chicago. My former pastor in Oakland, CA, J. Alfred Smith also challenged the middle and upper middle class families of Allen Temple to consider adopting an African American child.

People who lament the inter-racial adoptions (or abortion among black women) should really be the most vociferous on this matter.

I have a couple of issues with this. I live down the street from 2 beautiful twin girls who were adopted by a VERY WELL OFF white family, and at first I was excited to see that there were other black people in the neighborhood. And increasingly in the school system where I'm from, there are more and more black children who have white parents as a result of adoption. I'm happy that black children are getting adopted because the life of foster children and children of the state can often be hard and miserable, but my issue comes in when these parents are unknowing of black culture. It makes me angry to see 2 year old girls with micro braids and chroched braids because their parents don't know how to comb black hair. Or worse, school aged children who's parents have opted to cut off all of their hair leaving them with little unkempt afros again because of the lack of knowledge about black hair. Though we live only 4 houses down from these twins, the babysitter is white, and all of their little friends are white which again I see as a problem because regardless of who is raising these children they are still and will always be black girls. I feel that if white parents are going to adopt black children that's fine, but they need to make an effort to include black culture in their upbringing.

I too am stoic when I see black children adopted by an European couple. I am stoic, but I am cringing inside.

I also don't like the alternatives.

I am not against 'trans-racial' adoption. There is a reality there that can't be denied.

My wife and I considered adoption in the mid-70s. We chose not to do it.

I don't see societal conspiracy.

Our local 'children and youth' agency once approached our community-based organization to solicit adoptive families.

Their 'pitch' was that 52% of 'the children' were being adopted by European couples/families.
They were implying we, African American-Americans were not carrying our share of the load.

I ask her/them if any of the children in that statistic were the children of mixed-parentage.

The answer, of course, was, 'Yes.'

I then asked her how was the determination made that the children were 'black' in order to conclude we were not 'doing our share.'?

This thing about 'black' children being left out there is true.

The responsibility is not solely ours.

Where is the responsibility of the European parents of those children who are of mixed-parentage.

AND...this is not belittle the need and seriousness of the need of 'black' babies.

If anyone can adopt, and is so inclined please do it.

I am, however, not buying the blame game.

PEACE

Jim Chester

a white home is better than being in the system

Regarding the transracial adoption, I will admit that in my younger years, I was not much of a fan of the whole idea. But as I grew up both in age and experience, I realize that the idea of having whites adopting black children is probably not the most ideal of situations. Yes, I wish there were better situations and circumstances for these kids but the present alternatives are not the greatest. I am in support of the current trend because as RadioRaheem states, "a white home is better than being in the system". My thoughts on the issue changed after I met a good of mine who was adopted along with her sister by a white lady after her birth mother left them due to a drug problem.

Hopefully, more of us in our community will at least consider the option of adopting one or more of our own.

Some of these white parents may do more to educate their adopted Black children about their heritage than a set of Black parents would. I can imagine that they would always be mindful of and insecure about the fact that their children have a different history and go above and beyond to try to teach it to them/expose them to it.

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchy:
Some of these white parents may do more to educate their adopted Black children about their heritage than a set of Black parents would. I can imagine that they would always be mindful of and insecure about the fact that their children have a different history and go above and beyond to try to teach it to them/expose them to it.

Some white parents may educate their adopted Black children about their heritage more that
black parents. However, in my view you cannot assume that they would always go out of their way to be sensitive to their children's racial identity. I have heard some awful stories from people who have suffered a lot as a result of transracial adoption. One guy I knew was called a nigger by his father when his father was angry with him...so it's not always a bed of roses with transracial adoption.

I agree with you, Clare. It could go either way.

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchy:
I agree with you, Clare. It could go either way.

And to carry this negative behavior to its subterranean end:

We all know 'black' parents who do the same to own birth children.

Bad is demonstrated by us all.

Children deserve a loving home.

PEACE

Jim Chester

Does anyone know if there are stats related to Black parents adopting white kids?

Thought I would chime in. I am a white woman who has two beautiful adopted African-American daughters. I can't tell you the stuggle I had with this decision. Not because of my concerns, but because of wanting to do right by these kids as they grew up. I am trying to do everything I can to give them a positive racial identity yet I know that I will never have to go through these experiences myself. I read with interest the forum on when one first became aware of race and am so scared that I won't have the right reassurring, affirmative words for my girls when they come home telling me someone called them nigger. So I read sites like this and I talk to friends about their experiences and I expose them to black history and black culture and I do the best I can. I know they are better off with me than they would have been if left in the situation they were in, but I am not naive about the fact that we will have many struggles as we grow together.

Peace,

SB

quote:

Originally posted by AudioGuy:
Does anyone know if there are stats related to Black parents adopting white kids?

I can't answer the questions about adoption but I know that as foster parents in eastern Oregon, partically all the kids we had in our house or that were offered to us were white. Its definitely something different especially for white kids whose only contact with african americans has been the TV set or the movies.

quote:

Originally posted by CLARE:

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchy:
Some of these white parents may do more to educate their adopted Black children about their heritage than a set of Black parents would. I can imagine that they would always be mindful of and insecure about the fact that their children have a different history and go above and beyond to try to teach it to them/expose them to it.

Some white parents may educate their adopted Black children about their heritage more that
black parents. However, in my view you cannot assume that they would always go out of their way to be sensitive to their children's racial identity. I have heard some awful stories from people who have suffered a lot as a result of transracial adoption. One guy I knew was called a nigger by his father when his father was angry with him...so it's not always a bed of roses with transracial adoption.

I agree with both of the above. At the end of the day it comes down to the individual parent and their motivations for adopting.

I don't think it's wonderful or bad... I think it's a case of the individual, their mental, and spiritual resources, their ability to love, and their level of consciousness.

I think all adoptee parents need support networks - esp those families adopting children from other cultures. I do however, firmly believe that anyone adopting (or even having their own biological children for that matter) be assessed. To me having children is not a right, it is a priviledge and a responsibility.
.
.

quote:

Originally posted by art_gurl:
I do however, firmly believe that anyone adopting (or even having their own biological children for that matter) be assessed. To me having children is not a right, it is a priviledge and a responsibility.
.
.

That sums it up quite nicely I think. It's the quality of that assesment that concerns me. If people firmly understood the later, the former would be unecessary.

I take no issue with Black children being raised by white parents, so long as their quality as parents is correctly assesed. If they are good parents, then the effect of the family being bi-racial is so marginal that it's barely worth discussing. However, if they are bad parents, the bi-racial construct can make things much worse than they would be otherwise.

Ultimately, I believe that it's better for a child to be raised by reponsible and loving parents, than to be raised by the state (where both of these qualities are in short supply).

quote:

It's the quality of that assesment that concerns me. If people firmly understood the later, the former would be unecessary.

---Black Viking

I offered a written proposal fof such a program containing an evaluation, and education to Pennsylvania's Children and Youth Program.

It was repeatedly rejected without response.

The director of the program, at the University of Pittsburgh, expressed 'great interest' because more than 80% of our children are 'black'.

We need he said.

PEACE

Jim Chester

quote:

Originally posted by James Wesley Chester:It was repeatedly rejected without response.

The director of the program, at the University of Pittsburgh, expressed 'great interest' because more than 80% of our children are 'black'.

If the director was expressing 'great interest', what do you think their reasons were for rejecting the proposal?

If the director was expressing 'great interest', what do you think their reasons were for rejecting the proposal?---Black Viking

I've asked myself that question, many times.

When I first contacted the program, I was told such proposals had to 'go before' a committee of social workers,and they asked for a 'package' for review.

I complied and nothing ever happened. I made a number of tries, and from several approaches through several offices.

I think one of the problems was an Association of Black Social Workers.

I think there was/is a problem to 'turf' here. Services are delivered by contract, and are prepared to fit an 'organizational culture'.

I think identity and ancestral nationality is counter to the 'organizational culture' of the system.

In Pennsylvania, a 'black' child is any child that does not have parents European, or has one parent non-European, African American or any other African ancestry.

That's how these numbers get so skewed.

In that culture, a 'white' child means both parents 'white', and preferably all patents 'white'.

These institutions .kill us'.

And they profess to be doing it 'in kindness'.

They don't have a clue.

PEACE

Jim Chester

This is a good thing.

Children deserve families.

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchy:
Some of these white parents may do more to educate their adopted Black children about their heritage than a set of Black parents would. I can imagine that they would always be mindful of and insecure about the fact that their children have a different history and go above and beyond to try to teach it to them/expose them to it.

A lot don't thinking that teaching the child about Black stuff is akin to teaching the child that race matters for something.

Completely against the all so popular colorblind philosophy so many people follow.