Do whites need training before parenting black children?

[Unicorn]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Several leading child welfare groups Tuesday urged an overhaul of federal laws dealing with transracial adoption, arguing that black children in foster care are ill-served by a "colorblind" approach meant to encourage their adoption by white families.

Recommendations for major changes in the much-debated policy were outlined in a report by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.

"Color consciousness -- not 'color blindness' -- should help to shape policy development," the report said.

Groups endorsing its proposals included the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the Child Welfare League of America, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the National Association of Black Social Workers.

At issue is the 1994 Multi-Ethnic Placement Act -- and revisions made to it in 1996 -- governing the adoption of children from foster care.

One part of the law directs state agencies to recruit more adoptive parents of the same race as the children. The new report says this provision hasn't been adequately enforced and calls for better funded efforts to recruit minority parents.

The more contentious part of the legislation prohibits race from being taken into consideration in most decisions about adoption from foster care. For example, white parents seeking to adopt a black child cannot be required to undergo race-oriented training that differs in any way from training that all prospective adoptive parents receive.

A key recommendation in the new report calls for amending the law so race could be considered as a factor in selecting parents for children from foster care. The change also would allow race-oriented pre-adoption training.

"We tried to assess what was working and what wasn't, and came to the conclusion that preparing parents who adopt transracially benefits everyone, especially the children," said Adam Pertman, the Donaldson Institute's executive director.

"The view that we can be colorblind is a wonderful, idealistic perspective, but we don't live there," Pertman said. "If we want to do the best for the kids, we have to look at their realities."

At the heart of the debate is the fact that the foster care system has a disproportionately high number of black children, and on average they languish there nine months longer than white children before moving to permanent homes. The latest federal figures showed that 32 percent of the 510,000 children in foster care were black in 2006, compared with 15 percent of all U.S. children.

Of the black children adopted out of foster care, about 20 percent are adopted by white families. The Donaldson report said current federal law, by stressing color blindness, deters child welfare agencies from assessing families' readiness to adopt transracially or preparing them for the distinctive challenges they might face.

"There is a higher rate of problems in minority foster children adopted transracially than in-race," said the report. "All children deserve to be raised in families that respect their cultural heritage."

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/27/tranracial.adoption.ap/index.html

[Revolutiondownunder]

"Color consciousness -- not 'color blindness' -- should help to shape policy development," the report said


This is a cultural issue. Why are they making it a race issue? Race does not matter and its about time we all started living like it.

[rouchambeau]

This is a cultural issue. Why are they making it a race issue? Race does not matter and its about time we all started living like it.
Could you explain what you mean by that?

[Cybersomatix]

No, they don't. That's ridiculous.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Could you explain what you mean by that?

Race doesn't exist. Skin color exists. What distinguishes black people from white people in the US isn't race, but cultural differences manifested along color lines, if that makes sense to you.

[rouchambeau]

Dr.
Race doesn't exist. Skin color exists. What distinguishes black people from white people in the US isn't race, but cultural differences manifested along color lines, if that makes sense to you.
I'll let Rev speak for herself. But I find your position on the existence of race a little odd, maybe because I don't understand it. Are you denying that the way people have been raced does not play a role in how those people are viewed and treated today?

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Of course it plays a role, but that's entirely unrelated to biological groups of people or races, which don't exist.

[rouchambeau]

I think I agree with what you're saying. Race has no biological foundation, yet skin color does affect how far one is allowed to succeed and how one lives one's life.

I think that if white adoptive parents were given training they could better understand the experiences of their non-white adopted children.

[sushiosoyum]

Why do white people only need training on how to parent black children? I'd venture to say that any race would benefit from some training.:rolleyes:

[RedAnarchist]

If they need training to look after kids with a different skin colour, why stop there? Why not hair colour? Country of origin? Height? Maybe even favourite colour?

[bcbm]

If they need training to look after kids with a different skin colour, why stop there? Why not hair colour? Country of origin? Height? Maybe even favourite colour?

Really? You really just equated skin color with favorite colors? Maybe you aren't aware, but black kids (and adults) face a much different reality than white kids (and adults). Racism still exists and it doesn't go away by pretending everybody is the same.

[RedAnarchist]

Really? You really just equated skin color with favorite colors? Maybe you aren't aware, but black kids (and adults) face a much different reality than white kids (and adults). Racism still exists and it doesn't go away by pretending everybody is the same.

I wasn't being serious.

[Luís Henrique]

Really? You really just equated skin color with favorite colors? Maybe you aren't aware, but black kids (and adults) face a much different reality than white kids (and adults). Racism still exists and it doesn't go away by pretending everybody is the same.

And is it going away by enforcing racist policies of adoption, such as requiring adoptive parents to be of the same race as the adoptive child?

Perhaps we should also enforce a ban on interracial marriages also, since "racism still exists", and it is not going away "by pretending" that a white wife/husband is the same as a black one? Or even because the children of an interracial marriage won't be "of the same race" as at least one of their parents?

Frankly. This is outright racism under "political correct" disguise.

Luís Henrique

[bcbm]

And is it going away by enforcing racist policies of adoption, such as requiring adoptive parents to be of the same race as the adoptive child?

This isn't the policy being suggested here. What is suggested is that they try to put children in families that understand the cultural issues at work with race in America, of any color.


Perhaps we should also enforce a ban on interracial marriages also, since "racism still exists", and it is not going away "by pretending" that a white wife/husband is the same as a black one? Or even because the children of an interracial marriage won't be "of the same race" as at least one of their parents?

That's completely different and you know it. Or do you think what occurs between two consenting adults is exactly the same as putting a child with a family who has no understanding of cultural differences or how to address those issues?


Frankly. This is outright racism under "political correct" disguise.


Acknowledging the reality of race in America is racism? You can't ignore it and hope it goes away. This has been the response of liberals, more or less, for the last 40 years and look at the results.

[Revolutiondownunder]

I think I agree with what you're saying. Race has no biological foundation, yet skin color does affect how far one is allowed to succeed and how one lives one's life.

I think that if white adoptive parents were given training they could better understand the experiences of their non-white adopted children.

But if you make a law that says that only "white" people need training, you help reinforce the concept of race.

Race is an illusion, there is no such thing. The only way to take away the racism of history is to wipe the slate clean and treat EVERYONE the same.

Preferably under a much nicer system than capitalism admittedly.:(

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

This is outright racism under "political correct" disguise.

Really?
Acknowledging that there are cultural distinctions between white and black America is racism? Did you know in black communities in the US, white people are often viewed with horror? What is racism to you, Luís?

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

But if you make a law that says that only "white" people need training, you help reinforce the concept of race.

Race is an illusion, there is no such thing. The only way to take away the racism of history is to wipe the slate clean and treat EVERYONE the same.

Preferably under a much nicer system than capitalism admittedly.:(

Just because race doesn't exist, doesn't mean that deep cultural differences between people of black skin and people of white skin in some parts of the world doesn't exist. Ignoring these differences is ridiculous.

[Luís Henrique]

Really?
Acknowledging that there are cultural distinctions between white and black America is racism? Did you know in black communities in the US, white people are often viewed with horror? What is racism to you, Luís?

For instance, regarding people with horror because of the colour of their skin.

Luís Henrique

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Don't you think it's important to distinguish the oppression that the white establishment exerts against black people in the US from simple prejudice?

[rouchambeau]

But if you make a law that says that only "white" people need training, you help reinforce the concept of race.
I'm merely recognizing the situation we find ourselves in, not endorsing or reinforcing it.


Race is an illusion, there is no such thing.
Race may be an "illusion", but it's one that has consequences on the real world. We cannot ignore that.


The only way to take away the racism of history is to wipe the slate clean and treat EVERYONE the same.
I agree that people should be treated the same. But what does the idea of equality mean when people of color are held down from the start and white people are given a head start from birth? Can we simply ignore that people of color are today held back by institutional racism from long before they were born? I would say that we have to concretely rectify the wrongs of the past in order to have equality today.

[Luís Henrique]

Don't you think it's important to distinguish the oppression that the white establishment exerts against black people in the US from simple prejudice?

Yes, of course it is. White racism in the US is racism with power. What you described is racism without power.

How does putting obstacles to the adoption of children by people of different races help anyone, however, remains a mistery.

Luís Henrique

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

One is a means of oppression, while black people who have been subject to violence and discrimination b white society being terrified of white people is a perfectly normal response.

Have you even read the article? What is being proposed, while it may inadvertently be an obstacle, isn't expressly that and it's unjust for you to characterize it that way.

[Charliesoo]

Interesting article.

I am divided on this.

I believe that all people are equal. Yet because of difficulties in the past certain groups do not recognize that people should be treated equally and will continue to try and opress people based off of their skin color. In the ideal world such problems shouldn't exist. But this is not the ideal world. It is far from it. For the time being some aspects of this idea would be good. I am sure that background checks are already done on individuals before they adopt children. I believe that perhaps a little more observations should be made on individuals that are adopting children of different skin color because of the existance of fringe groups such as the KKK and other groups that preach racial inequality.