The adoption stories.The articles you presented in the "Making a Family" series (July/Aug. issue) concerning transracial trans·ra·cial adj. Involving two or more races: a transracial adoption. adoption were eye-opening for me, and not in a good way. As a therapist and a member of a racially mixed family, I have tried to be open about adoption of any race by any other, as long as there is cultural sensitivity (and considering the alternative for some Black babies of endless foster care). However, your articles frightened me. One mother obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. eternally over the beautiful color of her lovely child's skin; another (very complex and bright) young man was first adopted and then disowned dis·own tr.v. dis·owned, dis·own·ing, dis·owns To refuse to acknowledge or accept as one's own; repudiate. because he claimed his culture and the skin he's in; and yet another Native American woman was outright abused, and there was not respect or sensitivity to her culture by her adopted mother whatsoever! These are the reasons why the Black social workers were against such adoption to begin with! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I have two brothers who married outside of our race (if you consider that although we are African, we recently found out through DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. that we're a quarter white and a quarter Native American--who knew?). One married a German and another a Filipina woman, but I shudder to think what would happen to children like those produced by them if they ever got into the "system" of child adoption/foster care. Thankfully, that would never happen because our large and loving family would take over, but it certainly still scares me, and in this day and age--200 plus years after slavery, with immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. from all over the world--it shouldn't. Andrea Velox, Houston, Texas TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! Send letters to colorlines@colorlines.com or mail to ColorLines, 4096 Piedmont Avenue, PMB PMB Private Message Board PMB Print Measurement Bureau PMB Performance Measurement Baseline PMB Private Mail Box (non-USPS) PMB Plant and Microbial Biology PMB Private Mailbox PMB Physics in Medicine and Biology 319, Oakland, CA 94611. |
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