Racial Identity in Transracial Adoptions

Transracial Adoption

I’ve noticed a few posts on racial identity and wanted to pose a similar topic from a different perspective. The little that I know about the adoption process is that it is long, complicated, and costly. It appears that many adoption agencies have been using the transracial term to refer to couples that are opting to adopt children of a different race, who in some cases are biracial kids.

After reading “Interracial adoption: One couple’s Story” and seeing the process that one couple experienced in trying to adopt, I realized that different reactions that many coupes in a similar situation may encounter. I hope that for families looking to adopt a child of another race have a conversation with adult adoptees, as described by Lloyd and Pellissier. I think that having a conversation with David, Andrea, and Julia (adoptees from the article) cuts through all the stuff, for lack of a better word, and truly lays out the very real consequences of being raised in a household with parents of different races. Julia is able to cut through the white privilege goggles and is able to not only voice her concerns about interracial adoption but does so in a manner that is interesting and captures the audience.

In the Lloyd and Pellissier article, a white couple would rather adopt a black toddler and set him/her up with a college fund, rater than spending their life savings on a white infant. First, the idea that the kids waiting to be adopted are not only ranked according to how likely they are to be adopted (which is based on race and gender, among other things) but are also given a price is just ridiculous to me. Second, the idea that Hank believes that adopting a child of color won’t be a big deal because he and Carol are knowledgeable in black culture paints which creates this image of a parent trying to teach a kid ‘how to be black.’ Not only are the parents using a huge brush to cover the complexities of the adoptees experiences and creations of identities, but it makes me think that as long as Hank thinks he knows about African-American hist/lit, music, etc. and Carol knows about hip-hop and other music and activities that they are as well equipped to raise a black child.

I would like to believe that at one point or another I have thought about adopted children’s process of creating an identity for himself; unfortunately, I don’t believe I have done so. After reading Julia’s discussion with Carol and Hank I hope that more families are able to go through similar conversations. I am more interested, however, about how these now-adults handle themselves in society. I can’t tell a parent what they need to do to make their future child’s life better but if we all had the opportunity to hear from more multiracial kids raised in interracial household, we would be able to understand better. Hearing these individuals’ testimonies would be a deciding factor for many, I’m sure. But I’m more concerned about the now-adults that I have had this conversation and their stories about their experience.



Carol Lloyd and Hank Pellissier, “Interracial Adoption: One Couple’s Story” http://www.salon.com/1997/08/04/adoption970804/ l

YouTube video “#$%@ People Say To Transracial Families” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFp61HAj-nk