A survey of 405 adult transracial adoptees (conducted by the TransRacial Adoption Group, which is upfront about being “committed to promoting transracial adoptive placements as a viable form of adoption”) found that 97 percent of participants agreed with the statement that white adoptive parents are capable of developing a positive sense of cultural identity in an adopted black child, 86 percent did not believe that preference should always be given to an African-American couple when both a black and a white family were interested in adopting a particular black child, and 93 percent thought it was not necessary for agencies to first search for a qualified black family when a white foster family was interested in adopting their black foster child.
In a previous blog I discussed the views of one writer regarding barriers to desirable same-race placements of children of color, and suggestions for reducing those barriers. The writer quoted maintained that increasing the percentage of children of color going to same-race homes is a worthy goal.
Some individuals and groups maintain that children of color should only be placed with families of color. Some maintain that the most important thing is to find the child a home, and a same-race family is the best choice but a white family is better than remaining without a permanent family. The TransRacial Adoption Group, mentioned above, not only says that white parents can adequately nurture children of color, but maintains that it’s a myth that same-race placements are always preferable.
Kirsten Wonder Albrecht, of the TRA Group, testified in 1998 to the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Human Resources, that white families still face barriers in adopting transracially. Albrecht testified that foster parent training classes, often taught by members of the National Association of Black Social Workers, told parents “horror stories” of transracial adoptive placements. She testified that white foster parents were continually told not to become attached to the child because the agency is looking for a black adoptive home or planning to reunite the child with birth family.
Albrecht in particular denounced a “cultural competence test” used by some social workers and agencies. She points out that in academic circles, cultural competency is defined as the ability to work effectively with those of different cultural, religious or ethnic groups. In adoption, however, Albrecht maintains that the cultural competency assessment has become a test to see if parents are “black enough” to develop a positive cultural identity in black children. Some such tests assign points to parents who live in an integrated neighborhood or subscribe to Ebony magazine. Others deduct points from parents who have no African-American friends, do not plan to celebrate Kwanzaa or were raised in the South. One white foster mother was actually presented with a test asking her to identify six notable African-Americans from history and their achievements.
Albrecht maintains a two-fold problem with the test: first that it fails to reflect the diversity of African-Americans. She points out that a majority of African-Americans do not celebrate Kwanzaa in their homes. She asks if the cultural model being tested is the rural south, the inner city, or the suburban black professional?
She also points out that the cultural competence test goes against the purpose of the InterEthnic Adoption Amendment. Prior to the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act, Albrecht says it was not uncommon for a social worker to write in a report denying an adoptive placement, “denied because white”. Now that that is a blatant violation of the law, Albrecht says that a worker can use a cultural competence test to discriminate more subtly, based on the adoptive parents not using ethnically appropriate hair care, for example.
Please see these related blogs:
African American Support of Transracial Adoption
Choosing Whether and How to Adopt Transracially–Our Decision