Schrader 1

Courtney Schrader
HELA II
Rager - 6
20 February 2015
Race Should not be a Factor in Adoption
Throughout the process of adoption there are many things that are looked into to ensure the
adoptee is placed in a stable, loving home where they have the best chance to succeed in the
world. However, race should not be one of these factors. The only thing that should matter is that
the home is loving and the children feel safe in the home they have been brought into. The
childrens wellbeing, and not the color of their or their adoptive familys skin, is all that should
be considered.
Organizations like the National Association of Black Social Workers are very against
transracial adoptions because they say they want to preserve Black families. Others question
whether the children will be exposed to their own culture and if they will be able to view
themselves accurately (Dunham). The National Association of Black Social Workers has even
claimed that the adoption of children from other races is cultural genocide, saying children need
to be raised in their own culture (Donnelly). However, children who grow up with a knowledge
of their own personal heritage and are brought up in a different culture will likely be more
accepting of others, especially since they have multiple cultures themselves. A young white
adoptee who was adopted into an all-black family is a great example of this and counters these
arguments with her own life experiences in this type of interracial adoption (Donnelly). Stacey
Bush is a girl adopted in 1997 by a single black mother of five. Even though the social workers
tried to find as many reasons as possible on why Ms. Bush wouldnt be a good parent for Stacey,

Schrader 2
all Stacey wanted was a loving stable home. She did not care what color the parent was. She just
wanted to be safe and loved. Stacey did finally get to stay with Ms. Bush but it took a lot of extra
work and awkward questions. The social workers asked Ms. Bush if she would take a class to
learn how to wash Caucasian hair, if she would prepare food differently for her new white child,
and a social worker watched her take care of her children for hours to see if she would be a good
enough mother for Stacey. These things were surprising to Ms. Bush and she wondered why she
would have to make food differently for a child of a different color, especially since that child
liked the food she made already along with all of her other children. In the end, however, Ms.
Bush and young Stacey got what they wanted-- to be a family together-- and today Stacey is
excelling in everything she does from school to volunteer work in her community proving that
the race of the parent does not affect the success of the child (Donnelly).
One argument some people make is that black children who are adopted into non-black
families will not be prepared for racism that they may experience later in life. It is argued that
because their adoptive parents cannot teach them how to deal with racism since they may have
never experienced it themselves (Russell). However, it could also be argued that with more and
more families adopting children of different races, racism will begin to decline over time with
these situations becoming more commonplace and more widely accepted. Keeping minority
children in foster care for years waiting for an ethnic match often prevents or extends the time
before they are adopted (Muir/ Moorhead). It has even been said that social workers are
shunning Caucasian families when it comes to interracial adoption. Children who need to be
adopted but arent able to find a stable and ethnic match with a family shouldnt have to wait for
one when there are many families of different ethnicities that could love and care for them just as
much as a family of their own ethnicity. Instead they are left in foster care longer than necessary

Schrader 3
because of this ethnic bias. It has been recorded that 20% of minority children who need new
homes are never adopted because social workers are waiting to find an ethnic match for them
(Muir and Moorhead). One family, the Calverts, adopted a young white girl and soon realized
that the birth mother was expecting again. Of course the family wanted to make sure that their
daughter got to grow up with her sister, so they jumped at the chance to adopt the new child.
They were told by adoption agencies not to get their hopes up because the father was a black
man from the Caribbean, a different father than their first daughters. This fact alone meant that
they may not get to adopt this child because they werent a black or mixed family, and therefore
not an ethnic match to the child. The family was shocked. They thought that it would be best for
the child to be with her sister. The family did end up getting the second child and loving her and
her sister very much. They are very glad the sisters get to be with each other (Muir and
Moorhead). You would think that a child of mixed race would be an ethnic match to a Caucasian
family and/or a black family since that child is half of both races. One other thing that is missing
in the social workers argument in this situation is that the girl was being adopted in the same
family that had adopted her sister. Even though her sisters father was white it would still be
beneficial for both girls to grow up together regardless of what color their fathers were because
they both had the same birth mother (Muir and Moorhead). Plus, had their birth mother not put
them both up for adoption they would be living together anyway.
While culture and heritage are important parts of a persons life, they should not be the
reason that a child is denied the chance at a family. The most important thing for a child is that it
has a family that loves them. Children who are kept in the foster system because they are not an
ethnic match to the family, that loves them and wants them in their lives, but arent allowed to
adopt the child, do not get the same chance at a stable loving home as children who are adopted

Schrader 4
by a loving family regardless of the ethnicity of the family. In an adoption, race should not
matter, the only things that should matter is that the home the child is entering is willing, and
able to take care of that child as their own and that they are willing to give the child the love and
support it need to be a good and successful person in life.

Schrader 5

Muir, Hugh, and Joanna Moorhead. "The Truth About Inter-Racial Adoption." The Guardian. 03 Nov. 2010: 6-7.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

Donnelly, Francis X. "Love Is Colorblind." Detroit News. 04 Jun. 2011: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb.
2015.

Russell, Rose. "Love Comes in All Colors." Toledo Blade. 15 Apr. 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb.
2015.

Dunham, Kemba J. "White Mama, Black Baby." Essence. Sep. 2012: 160-161. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19
Feb. 2015.

Schrader 6
Grading
Criteria

Description

Points

Content
and Ideas

Clear argument
Support uses ethos, logos, and pathos
4 or more credible sources used
Antithesis addressed and refuted

The writer connects with the audience through

the intriguing focus of the topic, selection of
relevant details, and the use of natural, engaging
language, including the use of vocabulary.

Diction/
Syntax/
Convention
s

Five vocabulary words are used naturally

and effectively.

Writing is all in 3 person .

Quotations are embedded and cited.

0-3 Errors in grammatical structure

Publication/
Appearance

typed and double-spaced

Times New Roman; 12 pt.

proper MLA formatting; heading that

includes student name, instructors name, class,
and date

works cited page is included.

Voice

rd

x2

8/10 PEER 1 Amu - the argument is clear, you

have multiple sources, you refute opposing
arguments
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

Effective introduction and hook

Paragraphs are organized around claim

statements

Transitions are used between paragraphs

Sequence is logical

Conclusion leaves reader with powerful final statement

Organization

x2

6/10 PEER 1 Amu - Intro is a little short,

paragraphs are long and could be broken into
more sections, no conclusion
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1

x2

9/10 PEER 1 Amu - the topic is interesting,

lots of facts are presented, you use good
natural language and vocabulary
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1

x2

9/10 PEER 1 Amu - you dont have direct

quotes but your information is good and you
cited it well.
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1

x2

9/10 PEER 1 Amu - its double spaced, fonts

good, mla looks correct, good job
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher