Issues involving race are never cut and dry, and are often emotional, complex and at times, overwhelming.

For transracial adoptive parents, or parents considering transracial adoption, there is much to think about and much to learn. Here are a few simple (or not so simple) truths regarding race and transracial adoption that I have come to learn, and that all transracial adoptive parents or those considering transracial adoption, should consider.

- Racism is real. It is alive and well in the United States today, and in many other countries, too. It happens every day in big obvious ways, but also in small subtle ways, like the cop who pulls over the black man in the fancy car for no real reason, the store owner who keeps a close eye on black teens but ignores white teens, the white people who cross the road when a black man is walking towards them, and the teachers who expect all of their Asian students to excel in math and be uninterested in sports.

Transracial adoptive parents must be aware that racism is real and is still really happening. If they deny that, or are unaware of that, they will not be able to adequately prepare their children for the world in which they have to grow up and live.

- Race is important. It is easy to say, "love is colorblind", and I understand the sentiment behind that. I love my children equally and do not care if they are white, black, Asian or anything else. That is a good thing. But it is important that I acknowledge that my kids ARE white, black and Asian. It is important that I understand that while I may look at them and just see "my children", the rest of the world will look at them and judge them by the color of their skin and the slant of their eyes. It is important that I teach them about their cultures, and that I instill in them a sense of pride in who they are and where they are from.

- White people have the luxury of being able to live their lives mostly unaware and unaffected by racism if they choose to do so. By choosing to adopt transracially, we are choosing to make racism, prejudice and racial issues a part of our lives and a part of our family. While adopting a black child does not make us "black", it does make our family multiracial, and it does bring all of those issues very close to home and very real.


Continued in my next post...