Although I would venture to say that not all of us need the reminder, I think that it is important for transracial adoptive parents to think about racism often and to be reminded that it is alive and "well" in our country.

While there has been a lot of positive changes in racial attitudes, stereotypes and racism in society, there is still a long way to go until we can honestly say that we live in a country where all people are treated equal. (If you missed it, here is my post about the school in Georgia who just THIS YEAR had their first integrated prom.)

Here is yet another news story highlighting the racial inequalities still abounding in our country. This one is from USATODAY.com, and is titled "Black drivers searched more often, feds say."

Here is some of the basic info provided in the USATODAY.com article...

Arrested
• Black: 4.5%
• Hispanic: 3.1%
• White: 2.1%

Police used force
• Black: 4.4%
• Hispanic: 2.3%
• White: 1.2%

Searched
• Black: 9.5%
• Hispanic: 8.8%
• White: 3.6%

Source: 2005 Police-Public Contact Survey, conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Justice Statistics

This is important information for transracial adoptive parents, because it is our job to prepare our children to deal with this sort of unequal treatment. While my children are growing up in a family that treats them equally with their white siblings, and they attend a church and school in our small town that treats them equally with their white classmates, and they have not yet really felt that awful "sting" of racism...the day will come when they go out in the world and it slaps them in the face.

The day may come when a saleswoman follows my Mercy around an expensive clothing store because she is black and assumes she will try to steal something.

The day may come when someone crosses the road to "get away" from my Benjamin...a black man...walking down the sidewalk.

The day may come when my Marcus is pulled over and unnecessarily searched or mistreated because he is black and driving a nice car.

The day may come when my Des is called the "n" word or some other hateful thing.

The day may come when my Maggie and Amanda are at the end of nasty Asian jokes.

Our job is not to make our children paranoid about racism, but is to not let them grow up ignorant that it exists. Doing so will only make it more painful and difficult for them when they run into it.

My tips for preparing kids for racism...

-Talk openly and honestly. I tell all of my kids that the whole world isn't like our family, and that there are still people in the world who judge people by the color of their skin and treat black people, Hispanic people, Asian people, etc., differently.

-Role play. Give your kids "sample situations" and help them come up with ideas on how they could respond. Keep things short and sweet so they are easy for your kids to remember and use when the time comes.

-Find black adults and other black kids that can give your kids first hand advice on dealing with racism. Remember that white adults in the U.S. can not really know what it is like to be black and what racism feels like.

-Read books. There are lots of great books that address racism on a kid's level.

-Set an example for your children by not permitting any racial comments, jokes, etc. in your presence or your children's.

-Fill your kids full of love and self-confidence, to give them the strongest "armor" possible against the world.

Resources

Racial, Cultural Identity

Adoption & Race

Thread on Adoption.com Forums on preparing kids for racism