Some people are letting the color of skin get in the way of love, friendships and adopting children. There are some risks in adopting an child, just as there are risks in life, so whats wrong with learning about other cultures through adoption? when adults choose to adopt children, they should know exactly what the responsibilities are, which they have accepted. However, if a child receives the right love and guidance then, problems may be less likely to occur. Interracial adoption may be a nucleus that will teach the world about accepting interracial adoption. This paper is an overview of interracial adoption, an issue which has become increasingly important because of the dramatic increase in the number of minority children in the foster care system. Opponents argue that racial matching helps preserve the cultural heritage of the black community and, despite the evidence of long range studies, is in the best interests of the child. Increasingly, many experts in the field contend that the limited pool of minority families seeking to adopt significantly increases the time in which children remain in the system, which is much more harmful they advocate finding permanent homes for children wherever they are available, without regard to race.

Studies support the contention that interracial adoption has not proved harmful to children and has in fact often had a beneficial effect on both children and their adoptive families. Nowhere else in american society can race be used as the basis of discrimination it is only in the adoption process that it is openly encouraged within the established system. Elizabeth bartholet, a harvard lawyer and an important voice in the movement toward race blind adoption placements, observes, how we deal with race in the intimate context of the family says a lot about how we will treat race in other social contexts 1993, p. Until the civil rights movement of the early 1960s, interracial adoption was practically unheard of in america.

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With increasing opposition to racial discrimination, however, white families began to consider adopting nonwhite children, and agencies started proposing interracial placements. Nevertheless, within a decade placement of black children with white adoptive families had found a major opponent. The principal adversary is the national association of black social workers nabsw , with the support of social workers in general though this supp.

These adoptions are not always of the same race, transracial adoption is very popular among eager couples who are willing to adopt. Transracial adoption is the adoption of a child of one race by a couple of another race. Adopting children from different races has brought up many controversies and the government has had to step in. There are mixed views on the case of transracial adoption, some believe it is culturally damaging to the child while others believe there is nothing wrong with it. The primary goal of adoption officials must be to place the child into a home as quickly as possible which will, in turn, minimize the effects that it will have on the child. There is nothing wrong with transracial adoption a child can be loved by anyone who is willing to love it because love is colorblind.

There are many minority children who are without permanent homes in the united states, crossing the color bar is frowned upon by many people. The debate over transracial adoption is whether or not it is in the best interest of the child. The problem in today's society is that foster care is preferred over transracial adoption. The reason being the children and youth services would rather put a black child in foster homes of that race instead of letting a white couple adopt it because they are white.

They believe that putting a black child in white family would culturally damage that child, that they would grow up not knowing their heritage. They believe that a parent of a different race is not as equipped to educate a child about issues of their racial identity mcnair 1. They do not realize putting a child through years of moving from foster home to foster home would damage them because they would have no sense of family or love. Letting the white couple who are willing to adopt the child would be in the best interest of the child because they would give it a home, family and love. Beginning in 1968, a law was passed permitting families to adopt outside of their race. In 1972, an almost unknown black nationalist group called the national association of black social workers became famous when they spoke out against the practice of transracial adoption. Even though the law passed in 1968 was never changed, in only one year the number of transracial adoptions was cut in half to 1,569.

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Another law regarding transracial adoption was passed in 1980 stating that the department of health and human services is required to monitor adoptable foster care children every six, twelve, and eighteen months. We realize that the government has recognized that this is problem and in 1994 president clinton passed the multiethnic placement act multi 1. The multiethnic placement act mepa was proposed by senator howard metzenbaum, it was designed for many reasons. For one is was to prevent discrimination in the placement of children on the basis of race, color of natural origin multi 1. It stated that any agency that uses race as a factor in deciding adoptive placements would be denied federal financing republic 6.

The major goal of the act was to increase the number of children adopted because too many children were waiting too long. A recent study revealed that in a three month period in new york city 262 children were legally adopted, out of those more than fifty percent had lived in foster care for at least six years christ 2. Many of those children were held back from being adopted because of racial considerations.

How can one hold a child for that long in foster care when there are willing parents ready to adopt. Consider four couples who were willing to adopt four black children who have spent time in the foster care system: one a ten year old boy with severe learning disabilities, a two year old girl with fetal alcohol system, a mildly retarded three year old boy with cerebral palsy and a four year old boy who is one fourth black who was born drug affected and was sexually abused. Each of the four couples who were willing to adopt these children of their dreams were denied adoption permission because they were white christ 1. It doesn't matter if the parents are of a different race because studies have showed that children raised by parents of different race have had normal culturally aware lives. Sandra illionga, a black woman who was adopted by a white family waited ten years before being adopted she states what were they doing during those ten years growing my ideal black family from scratch christ 2.

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So we see these children who wait are put through a lot of stress from moving around to foster homes. The government has realized that there was a problem that is why they passed the mepa act. Mepa will help by preventing discrimination that can cause delays in or denial of adoptive placements due to race or color. Today there is split opinion on the adoption of children by a couple of a different race.

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There are many organizations out there that support transracial adoption and are helping with adoptions whether they are transracial or not. One organization americans for african adoption was started and is also run by cheryl shott. As of 1992 her agency has placed eighteen children from africa and one from afghanistan with white families in the united states vogue 12. Along with these supportive agencies the communities and churches are give their support to transracial adoption. The younger generations are more apt to be willing to adopt out of race because they are the younger generation, they have experienced today's society where interracial couples are becoming more frequent. The reason there are so many transracial adoptions today is because of the abundance of white couples seeking to adopt and their isn't enough white children for them to adopt. These couples are willing to adopt a child of different race since the abundance of minority children up for adoption is high.

These white couples are seeking to adopt because of many reasons one being that they could have a fertility problem. Any couple in that situation would be grateful to adopt a child of a different race it would not stop them from loving it any differently. With not enough black families showing interest in adopting these children are left waiting for a family to adopt. Before the multiethnic placement act was passed these black children would wait for however long it took for the adoption agency find them same race parents. Now after the act was passed these agencies have to if there is no suitable family of the same race willing to adopt the child allow the white couple to adopt. Now we are back to the real controversy involving transracial adoption: does transracial adoption culturally damage the child? no.

As a child of different race is adopted by a white couple it is essential that the child explore his or her own heritage and ethnic identity. There is a concern that if a child is adopted out of his culture that they are going to lose their cultural ties smith 1041. It is important that the ethnic identity of the child be preserved and that the child is able to develop an awareness of their heritage. Many of the children adopted by white couples are proud of their racial and ethnic backgrounds, both the biological and the cultural ones st. In a study done by mcroy and zurcher, black children raised by white adoptive parents have the same high self esteem and good self concept as did a black child raised by black adoptive parents pohl 49.