Haiti’s Children and the Adoption Question New York Times Opinion Pages February 1, 2010
In the current crisis in Haiti, it is particularly important that any transfer of children from Haiti be in accordance with international law, and handled through reputable organizations able to find families that can provide stability for a better life.
Love is not always enough in interracial adoptions.
While immediate survival and safety are paramount, where these parentless children ultimately end up must also be considered of equal importance. Research on transracial adoption suggests that white families rearing black and biracial adoptees have much to consider in terms of caring for these children. They will have to help these children develop the skills to navigate between two, often contradictory, cultures.
My research has found that black and biracial children often struggle with their cultural identity growing up in a white-dominated context. But in most cases, children of color are not taught how to deal with issues of race and conflict that they are may encounter when raised in white communities.
For Haitian children, the cultural shift in any move to the United States may be particularly acute. With this in mind, it is incumbent on white adoptive parents to do their homework. Love is not always enough.
Of course love isn’t enough, if it were, birth parent’s would not need to place children. It’s out of an understanding that love isn’t enough that birth parents place and I think adoptive parents understand that concept. I think it would be more constructive for Dr. Smith to give respectful practical advice to white parents in his articles.
I think it would be equally important that black adoptive parents as well as white parents do their homework in adopting Haitian children. Haitian culture and black American culture are very different. Love isn’t enough, true, but love and same skin color aren’t enough either especially when you are talking about international adoption. I don’t think this article should be focused on just white parents.
Candice, if I may, you really don’t understand the construction and powerful framework of white supremacy and dominance in the United States. It’s so pervasive, it’s often difficult to even engage in a meaningful dialogue with persons who possess a world view filter through a white supremacy even they don’t understand or fully comprehend. In keeping with white supremacy, whites are often quick to be critical of truthful black analysis, point out flaws and offer corrections. The article is focused on white parents who have an incomplete, immature and often flawed world view of blackness in the U.S., the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. For this reason, these children will face challenges you will not be able to protect or shield them from. The tragedy – you don’t even recognize the challenges – simply because to do so could mean coming to terms with your own complicity in the perpetuation of racism and white supremacy systems.