Transracial Adoption Essay Example

Transracial Adoption Essay Example Transracial Adoption Essay Transracial Adoption Essay According to Arnold R. Silverman, outcomes of translation of adoption, transracial adoption means the Joining of racially different parents and children together in adoptive families. I chose this topic for two reasons. The first reason would be due to my recent viewing of a movie called losing Isaiah. The second reason is that I am a former foster youth of the state of Oklahoma and I experienced multiple transracial a placements and I often wondered if the methods that Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is using for youth are the best in regards to adoption. Through out this paper I plan to provide an in-depth understanding of what Transracial adoption truly is. I also plan to explain the benefits of transracial adoption as well as the concerns in regard to transracial adoption. In this paper I plan to share detailed statistics to support the knowledge that I found as well bring light to a very sensitive social problem. In the movie Losing Isaiah, there are two women of dramatically different social, economic, and ethnic circumstances locked into a bitter child custody dispute in this emotionally powerful drama. Khailia Richards (Halle Berry) is a poor and drug- ddicted single mother who, while stumbling out of a crack house one night, accidentally leaves her infant son Isaiah in a cardboard box near a trash heap. The next morning, Khailia realizes to her horror that she left her baby behind, and she runs back to the crack spot to retrieve him. However, the baby is missing, and after much search, she presumes that he must be dead. As it turns out, the baby was spotted in the nick of time by sanitation workers and rushed to a hospital, where at the insistence of social worker Margaret Lewin Oessica Lange) the babys life was saved. Margarets heart goes out to the baby, who, along with illnesses brought about by neglect, suffers from emotional and educational problems often associated with children whose mothers used cocaine during pregnancy. Margaret, a white woman, adopts Isaiah and raises the child with the help of her husband Charles. Four years later, Khailia has successfully gone through drug rehabilitation and holds down a steady and responsible Job as a nanny and housekeeper. She learns by chance that Isaiah is still alive, and she quickly hires an attorney to help her reclaim custody of her son. However, Margaret loves the child and is not about to give him up without a battle in court. This movie made me question who is right? Does pigmentation or culture matter? Above all, what has love got to do with it? Social workers and Judges in Juvenile courts across the country are daily making these decisions of terminating parental rights and placing children in what they see as stable homes. Losing Isaiah is not a fantasy but a present reality. How to resolve these issues of custody is the dilemma for all involved. There are not any easy answers. I entered OKDHS custody of the age of six. After 12 years, I aged out of OKDHS custody and by the time I had left it was documented that I had experienced over 42 different placements. This is defiantly excessive but not uncommon. Throughout my experience in DHS custody I had a variety of pasta beer and I want that I ever truly consider the nationality of my foster parents. As an adult I didnt realize that Denmark early in the developmental years I nave black and I believe that was definitely needed to help me create and develop identity that I had. As I got older, I begin to realize that there were not as many foster homes available for teenagers. I also believe that this is definitely an influence to the reason why I was placed with more white foster parents. At the age of 16 1 met the individuals that are currently consider my parents. Yes, they are white but I often question if I would be the same person if they had adopted me form birth. When transracial placements first begin in the United States in the years following World War II, they were generally applauded or ignored by social service professionals and the black community. Social workers. When transracial placements first begin in the United States in the years ollowing World War II, they were generally a applauded or ignored by social service professionals and the black community. Social workers expressed some anxiety about the workability of these placement, the little doubt about the need for desirability as a number of transracial adoptions increased dramatically in the late 1960s, criticism greatly increased. The changing was due to a rise in movement, it is greater emphasis on the ethnic pride led many racial cultural minorities to question transracial placements. Increasing criticism developed within the black community Native Americans also expressed deep concern about the relatively large numbers of Indian children placed with wiping objections the transitional placements 1970 when the national Association of Black social workers expressed vehement opposition to the actual practice of transracial adoption. They even went farther and stated that that placing black children and white homes is a form of cultural genocide. As a result of this criticism, it was definitely a noticeable decline in transracial adoptions. It is noted that since the national Association of Black social workers expressed its bjections, the adoption of black children by whites have diminished considerably. Yet the adoption of Asians by whites have continued at a level of several thousand a year, and has been a moderate expansion in number of Central and South American children adopted by white parents. According to the adoption of foster care analysis reporting system from June 2006, African-American children comprise about 60% of the total population under the age of 18 yellow. Reports state that 34% of the children in foster care in 2006 were African-American. These numbers can truly be ut wrenching and somewhat shocking. Knowing the numbers it is clear to understand why there are so many African-American children in foster care. It is easy to see how transracial adoptions and placements could take place. The question really comes to be is transracial placements in the best interests of the children. There are a variety of studies that have been done to measure the adjustment of transracial adoptees. Through out my research it was very evident that there is a need for much more research due to the lack of current day data. McRoy and Zurcher eported the first of studies in 1983. This investigation compared 30 white families who adopted black children with 30 black families would adopt black children. I was truly intrigued by their findings. The transracial familys predominately live in white communities and their children attended predominantly white schools. The study showed that racial differences where rarely discussed at home. The children felt they had little in common with blacks and had no desire to associate with. Out of the 30- transracial adoption families only six described as acknowledging their childrens acial identi ty and the need to provide them witn a black role models. In the final group, six families consider their family structure to be interracial, their children and integrated schools, and encourage them to emphasize their black heritage. As for the interracial adopting black families they predominantly lived in black communities that would assume that the children were replaced in kinships and association with black peers. Stating they will not have problems with identity. The authors were deeply concerned about the children whose problems with race I idnt have been described above. They were concerned with the white parents whose attitudes encourage this. They were even more concerned with the Whites parents ability to respond to the necessity of equipping the child to become bicultural and to realistically receive the historical cultural black-white relations in American society I believe that their efforts were definitely beneficial to the social work in todays society. Personally, Im not opposed to transracial or interracial adoption but I do feel that there are key steps family should take to prepare for dopting a child that is not from their race. I also believe that there should be detailed training and resources provided to the families that have decided to make the step toward transracial adoption. Saying color doesnt matter is Just as bad as saying one is racist. You cant ignore an individuals race and you defiantly shouldnt teach a child to ignore their race. Race is a part of one identity and it must be taught to be embraced. Love can be shown to anyone at any time but the ability to truly embrace ones identity is a reflection of oneself. Mcroy, R. and Zurcher, L. Transracial and inracial adoptees. Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas, 1983. Silverman, A. R. with D. Witzman. Nonrelative adoption in the United States. In Adoption is worldwide perspective. RAC Hokesbegen, ed. Berwyn, PA: Swets North America, 1986 Amuzie Chimezier, Transracial adoption of black children. 1975 BelgraveAllison , African American Psychology from Africa to America, 2nd Edtion 2010 Nam Soon Huh and William J. Reid, International social work , 2000 Losing Isaiah. Dir. Stephen Gyllenhaal. Perf. Halle Berry, Samue L. Jacson. 1995.