White Parents, Black Children
Experiencing Transracial Adoption
By (author) Darron T. Smith, Cardell K. Jacobson, Brenda G. Juárez
Publication date:
27 October 2011Length of book:
176 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442207622
White Parents, Black Children looks at the difficult issue of race in transracial adoptions—particularly the adoption by white parents of children from different racial and ethnic groups. Despite the long history of troubled and fragile race relations in the United States, some people believe the United States may be entering a post-racial state where race no longer matters, citing evidence like the increasing number of transracial adoptions to make this point. However, White Parents, Black Children argues that racism remains a factor for many children of transracial adoptions. Black children raised in white homes are not exempt from racism, and white parents are often naive about the experiences their children encounter.
This book aims to bring to light racial issues that are often difficult for families to talk about, focusing on the racial socialization white parents provide for their transracially adopted children about what it means to be black in contemporary American society. Blending the stories of adoptees and their parents with extensive research, the authors discuss trends in transracial adoptions, challenge the concept of "colorblind" America, and offer suggestions to help adoptees develop a healthy sense of self.
This book aims to bring to light racial issues that are often difficult for families to talk about, focusing on the racial socialization white parents provide for their transracially adopted children about what it means to be black in contemporary American society. Blending the stories of adoptees and their parents with extensive research, the authors discuss trends in transracial adoptions, challenge the concept of "colorblind" America, and offer suggestions to help adoptees develop a healthy sense of self.
This book furthers understanding of the essential elements underlying the question plaguing adoption services for years: does race matter? In their illuminating work, Smith (Wichita State Univ.), Jacobson (Brigham Young Univ.), and Juárez (Univ. of Massachusetts) present the findings of their systematic investigation of the experiences and perspectives of white adoptive parents and their African American children. Dramatic growth in the numbers of transracial adoptions spurred them to ask how damaging the perils are of growing up a black child in a white family, living in a socially unjust world. Their conclusions seem to be that while most white adoptive parents love their black children and do what they feel to be in the children's best interests, the experience is developmentally damaging in salient and irreversible ways, leaving the children ill equipped to deal with the micro-aggressions they face daily living in a racist society. . . . This is an important read for all parents, practitioners, and pundits in the field. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.