Here is yet another article on transracial adoption. This one comes from the New York Times. The article is titled “Overcoming Adoption’s Racial Barriers”.

While the article focuses on private domestic adoptions and adoptions from the U.S. foster care system, there is a lot of good information.

The article touches on how the views of adoption professionals and the public in general have softened in regards to transracial adoption, becoming much more tolerant and accepting of interracial families formed by adoption than they were even just a few years ago.

The article also touches on some important points, such as how in the past, transracial adoptees were supposed to just assimilate into their new families without any attention or focus being given to their culture, race or ethnicity, and how that led to adults who felt very conflicted about who they were. It also talks about how this has changed, and how most adoption agencies are now requiring education for adoptive parents on the importance of their child’s race and culture.

“It’s about getting people to realize that they should not be thinking about being, as one 8-year-old put it to me, ‘a white family with a weird child,’ but a multiracial family,” Ms. Stigger said. “The way most white people use the term ‘colorblind’ is just silly. We want to create color aware families, not colorblind families.”

I think that this is a great point… Although many adoptive parents use the term “colorblind” in a way to try and say that they love all of their children the same, it also seems to be sweeping the issues of race under the proverbial carpet. Color aware families can love all of their children the same, while honoring, respecting and celebrating the differences.

All in all, this is another good article. Make sure you check out the picture slide show and graphics in the sidebars for more good information.

I do have to say that this quote really rubbed me the wrong way…

At the same time, some blacks view international adoptions by whites as a slight to black children in need of permanent and stable homes. “I can’t help but wonder why Angelina and Brad can’t adopt an African-American baby here with so many in need,” said Ishia Granger, 36, a black friend of Ms. Brockway.

I will address this in my next post.