Pros And Cons Of Transracial Adoption

Transracial adoption, or interracial adoption is when a child is adopted by parents of a different race or ethnic group than themselves. It is quite popular within the United States, although adoptions of the same race are more common. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 47% of kids adopted in 2013 were white, while only 21% were black (Valby). Many people are working to raise the number of transracial adoptions, as it gives many more homes to kids of all races. Today, more than 40% of adoptions are transracial, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. This number increased from being only 28% in 2004, so it is slowly but surely growing (Valby). Transracial adoption should be encouraged more within

Donna Matias, who is a lawyer with the Institute of Justice, says, “one of the problems with race-matching policies, is that it leaves the children in the system to wait. They are thrown into a vicious cycle where the chances plummet that they will ever get adopted. Never getting adopted has been shown to have a negative impact on children (Stokes).” A recent study showed that 27% of males and 10% of females were imprisoned within 12 to 18 months of leaving foster care. 37% had not even finished high school, and 50% of the kids were eventually unemployed (Stokes). Because of racial discrimination, the kids are left in the foster care system longer, and the kids aren’t being adopted. If potential adopters were more open to adopting kids of other races, all of these statistics would be much lower, and many kids would be adopted, thanks to no more racism within

According to a 2008 publication by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, an adoption research and policy organization, black children had a greater sense of racial pride when their parents acknowledged their racial identity by moving to integrated neighborhoods, and providing them with African American role models (Valby). By doing these things, kids can feel more comfortable with their own skin and culture, instead of only being surrounded with white people and white role models. Also, Rita Simon is a professor of justice and public policy at American University, studying transracial adoptions for 30 years, writing over 60 books. She has 6 transracial grandchildren, and feels very strong about this topic. She said, “You really have to make some changes in your life if you adopt a child of another race. In the case of a white parent adopting a black child, that might mean living in an integrated neighborhood, having pictures in the home of black heroes, seeking out other families in similar situations, attending a black church and finding role models or godparents who are black. The same need to integrate a child's culture applies across the board, whether parents are adopting from Asia, Central America or elsewhere” (Ravitz). Stories like this appear in many different articles, saying that once a