We are up to the letter "R" in my Transracial Adoption ABCs series and today I am going to write about race.

Race - Race is a often a controversial topic. While when people use the word "race" as a way of grouping people by the color of their skin and their physical characteristics (and sometimes also by where they were born), most scientists agree that the idea of humans being broken into groups by race is merely a social construct, and that all human beings are part of the same "group".

Many also believe that since there are not any real "races" of human beings, that the word should not be used any longer, and should be replaced with a term that is more accurate, such as "ethnic groups".

I don't have the time/energy/knowledge to get into a big scientific debate or discussion on race, however I can say that I do not like using the word "race" and I embrace the concept and belief that we're all just human beings.

However, that being said, what unfortunately is important at this point in regards to transracial adoption, is the fact that most people in the world still use the word race and still see people as being broken up into "races".

Most people still label others by race, and base those labels on the physical appearances of the people they are labeling (even though many people cannot simply be labeled by one "race" and it is often difficult to accurately guess someone's "race" just by looking at them). This is often witnessed by biracial people. Biracial people who have very light features are often treated as "white", while biracial people who have darker features are often labeled and treated as "black".

Even though race may not be an accurate scientific concept, it is unfortunately very much a prevalent social concept.

And going hand in hand with the term "race" is racism. Racism takes the concept of people being broken into "races", and then adds to it the belief that there are superior and inferior "races". Most racist people believe that their "race" is best. Racism affects the way people treat each other and the way society functions as a whole.

All of this talk about race and racism boils down to the fact that for parents who choose transracial adoption, this is going to be something that you have to deal with. This is going to be a part of your daily life. The world is going to look at you as a transracial family. Your child is going to experience racism and it is going to be your responsibility to prepare your child for racism.

If there was no concept of race, there would be no concept of "transracial adoption", however race and racism are still socially very real in the world, and many people still look at "black" children and believe that they are better off in "black" families.

Race and racism are concepts that are "alive and well" in our society today and in many others. They are complicated and emotional topics that certainly can't be completely covered in one little blog post.

However I hope that all parents who are choosing transracial adoption are taking the time to think about and educate themselves about race and racism, as it is forever going to be an issue that directly affects you, your child and your family.

More reading on race and adoption:

Racial Issues in Adoption

The Anti-Racist Parent

Transracial/Transcultural adoption on Adoption.com