Trans Racial Adoption Research Paper

Henry Ford once said, “ At that point, a child is eligible for adoption and can be placed with a family that can love the child and raise the child.” What this quote says is that a child should be placed with any family that can love it and raise it. If race was not so significant, a higher percentage people would be eligible to adopt, meaning that more kids will be adopted. The happiness of the children should also be of greater importance that the race of the future parents. Despite this, there will always be people who are against transracial adoption. A few of them say that a child with adoptive parents who are of a different race are more likely to suffer an identity crisis. Overall, transracial, or interracial, adoption is better for children in orphanages or the foster care system.

Transracial adoption the identity debate, is an immense concern because it confuses the child that they don’t belong to neither side black nor white. Because they have white parents, but the children’s race is black so they are in a confused stage that could affect them physiologically. The black child will end up wishing they were also white like their parents and will make them confused and not have a high self-esteem. Transracial adoption tends to have conflicting results toward the

Around the age of two to six activity, nonstop questions, and fears. Throughout adolescents’ lifetime they will experience separation and identity formation. Finally, at adolescence the questions will come, who am I and where am I going. The hope of the research on this topic is to better understand the stages and effects of attachment in adopted children and the need to develop better solutions to each stage and effect. Do you think that the age of a child at the time of adoption affects their ability to bond? Do male children attach easier to the caregiver than female children? Does culture have an effect on a child’s ability to bond? Does a child of a particularly race have a more difficult time bonding with parents of a race other than there own? By examining this particular topic of Attachment in Adopt Children it will hopefully open up a better understand of some of the particular disorders and stages the children at any age during and after adoption go though. It will help caregivers and family have a better in site as to what the child might be going

Since the 1960’s, interracial adoption has been on the rise, although it was looked down upon until the 1990’s. Many kids sit and wait to be adopted for most of their childhood. So, instead of adoption agencies waiting to find what they call “the perfect match,” which is referring to a family who is of the same race as the child they intend to adopt, they started allowing interracial adoption as a part of hoping every child finds a family that loves them beyond the color of their skin. Proponents argue that children grow up to not care that they aren’t the same color as their parents, their kids are more open to learning about their culture, and that kids of different races, other than caucasian, are more available in foster homes and overseas. While cons argue that family acceptance is a problem, the kid might feel uncomfortable about being a different race than their parents, and that parents might not like to stand out.

Currently there is a disproportionate number of minority children in foster care system and as a result, individuals and families of other races or cultures are becoming caregivers and guardians for children of different ethnicities. This is what is known as transcultural/transracial placement and has been a highly controversial happening since the 1970’s and 80’s. The concern amongst social workers and child welfare agencies in transracial placements is the loss of culture or racial identity that may result for the child. Because of the disproportion between the ethnicity of a child and the same or similar ethnicity of a potential foster family, the notion of transracial placement has gone through many changes. As a result of several acts signed into law, considering the race of a child and/or the foster family is no longer part of placement guidelines. (U.S. Commissions On Civil Rights, 2010). While this is a positive change to ensure children are in institutional care for no longer than necessary, it could also leave the door open for the chance of racial disparity, a loss of a child’s sense of biological self, poor cultural identity, and could hinder a child’s ability to cope with being different. Research suggests “when children are removed from their cultures or when their cultures are not acknowledged and appreciated emotional trauma and behavior problems are exacerbated” (Coakley & Buehler, 2009)

Adoption is the legal process whereby adults become parents to children not born to the. An adoptive parent assumes all the legal rights and responsibilities for the adopted child.

"Being a [multiracial] adoptive family can be a culturally rich experience if the family chooses to embrace their diversity and seek out opportunities to expand their cultural horizons." (Kruger). Adoption is a very heartfelt subject that is shared all over the world. Interracial adoption is a type of adoption that has made itself more well-known across the nation. There are also many issues that have evolved with this topic such as being socially shunned for adopting outside of the designated race. The issues with interracial adoptions are the people, the history, and all of the racial differences that come along with interracial adoptions.

Robert Dale Morison, a parent who has adopted a son of a different race, professes the root of racism could easily be eliminated, stating, “The quickest way to end racism would be to have everyone adopt a child of another race. Mo matter what your beliefs, when you hold a four-week-old infant, love him and care for him, you don’t see skin color, you see a little person that is very much in need of your love.” Interracial adoption isn't about the color of the child’s skin, it is about the love they will be given in their new home and that they will still be able to learn about their culture in a safe and loving environment. The most important factor in interracial adoption is that the child has a permanent and loving home.

A child who is adopted is always a good thing, yet there are those who wish to return to the days of racial segregation when it comes to adoption. The “National Association of Black Social Workers, in 1972, likened whites adopting black children to ‘cultural genocide’” (Clemetson & Nixon, 2006, para 16), which is a completely racist view of how White people would poorly raise a Black child based solely on skin color. Their stance on interracial adoptions has changed somewhat in the last 40 years. The wording has been softened to a more politically palatable and sustainable “transracial adoption of an African American child should only be considered after documented evidence of unsuccessful same race placements has been reviewed and supported

Racially mixed people are meant to prove that they are good enough for society, and in reality, society chooses who that interracially adopted child is going to be. Because interracially adopted children will one day be part of the competitive social market, society makes it difficult for these children to realize that one day they can be successful. Starting in school, some children are isolated because they may not really belong to a certain race on its own. Never realizing that a mixed child can actually be part of whatever race he relates to, the child may take such actions such as isolation, and self destruct. Along with comments such as "black children belong in black homes" society sets trends like the highest number of adoptive children are black, but the highest numbers of adopted children are white. The statistics of more adopted white children demonstrates the favoritism of white children over any other race, and helps build a personal pain on those children that are not adopted, because of their race. Although it is hard to accept others making decisions for one, interracially adopted children, and all others must recognize that society chooses what a person's racial identity is, and should be embraced because society needs more diverse people.

To the thousands of children in foster care, adoption means being part of a family. Adoption signifies a chance to be loved, wanted, and cared for properly. Every year thousands of children enter the foster care system. In the year 2010 alone, 245,375 children entered foster care, of that number over 61,000 were black. An astounding 30,812 black children were waiting for adoption in 2010 (AFCARS). With so many children needing homes, it would seem their adoption would be open to any and all loving families, yet this is not the necessarily the case. Transracial adoption, which traditionally alludes to black children placed with white families, is riddled with difficulties. While transracial adoption can be a successful solution, many

Have you ever felt unwanted? Well, many children who wait in foster care often times feel this way. Transracial adoption can help them find a loving home. I believe that race should not be a factor in adoption.

Thesis: Transracial adoptees family situation affects many aspects of the adopted child’s life. Do these children have identity formation difficulties during adolescence and are there any significant differences between adoptees and birth children?

Child Adoption has been around for centuries. According to The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, the most recent number of national adoptions was last collected in 1992 and has not been collected since. The reason for this is that it is not legally required. In 1992, the number of adoptions that occurred in the U.S. was around 127,000. In total, there are 1.5 million children that are adopted in the U.S., which accounts for over 2% of all U.S. children (Donaldson, 2008). My sister’s adoption is considered to be transracial. That is when children are placed into a household that is of a different race. Only 8% of the total amounts of adoptions are transracial, which is pretty shocking to me. The website also offered the percentages of the most common ages that children are usually adopted. The most common age that children are adopted is under 1 year old, which is about 46%. Next are ages 1-4 at 43%, 5-9 years old at 8%, and over 9 years old which is only 3% (Donaldson, 2008). After reading these statistics, I decided to further research how the children of these varying ages may adapt as they are adopted at different ages.

In the last four decades, the concept of the American family has undergone a radical transformation, reflecting society¡¯s growing openness. Among all segments of society, there is a greater acceptance of a variety of family structures ¨C from single parenting to blended families to same sex parenting of children. The introduction of openness into the process of adoption offers new opportunities for children in need of a parent or parents and prospective parents wishing to create or expand their families. Meeting the requirements to become eligible to adopt no longer means being constrained by the conventions of an earlier generation.