'60 Minutes' wacky piece on black/white adoptions

Townhall ^ | February 24, 2005 | Larry Elder

[The Loan Arranger]

"60 Minutes" strikes again. Earlier this month, the program broadcast a segment on international, "transracial" (black/white) adoptions involving American-born babies.

It turns out, according to "60 Minutes," a growing number of families living out of the country now adopt American black babies. As for the reason, "60 Minutes" interviewed Walter Gilbert, CEO of The Open Door, a private adoption agency. Gilbert's agency has placed more than 200 American children in British Columbia. Many of these kids are black and are matched with white Canadian parents. Why? "Especially in Canada," Gilbert says, "people are just color-blind.... We would tend to tell them [birth mothers] that our experience has been there's less prejudice. They know what they experience here."

Never mind that our unemployment rate is 5.2 percent versus Canada's 7.0 percent, or the Canadian GDP per capita is $29,700 versus our $37,800. It's better up there.

But wait, the "60 Minutes" piece grew even more baffling. Correspondent Lesley Stahl never even suggested another big reason why adoption agencies might look outside of America for parents to adopt black children. For decades, the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) and others called transracial adoptions "cultural genocide." In 1992, the NABSW issued a paper condemning "transracial" black-white adoptions between Americans, warning against "transculturation . . . when one dominant culture overpowers and forces another culture to accept a foreign form of existence," and stated that "children need to be with those who are most familiar with their culture, heritage and family system." I attempted to determine whether NABSW still maintains its official status against "transracial adoptions," but as of final editing of this article, no one from the organization returned a phone call or e-mail.

[free_european]

"transculturation . . . when one dominant culture overpowers and forces another culture to accept a foreign form of existence"

Weird. Assumes a great deal of antagonistic differences between "black" and "white" cultures. I just dont see them.

[SouthernFreebird]

So why can't they find Black Canadians to adopt?

[Cosmo]

...and why isn't more being done to encourage black potential parents to adopt black babies?

[Conservatrix]

Are there enough black potential parents to be parents at all?

WHy do you think those babies/children/much older children are up for adoption in the first place?

What needs to be done is get black males to 1. stop procreating without the reponsibility of fatherhood (thank you Bill Cosby) 2. Get blacks towards the marriage/family model rather than welfare/father abandons offspring model 3. Get blacks to take greater responsibility for the children they bring into the world 4. Get blacks to take greater responsibility for their sexual actions in general---

the reason there are so many of these kids has to do with the parents that brought them into the world.

[BrooklynGOP]

That's cause you're racist :P

[free_european]

Ha! Im sure that what the social workers would say :)

[BrooklynGOP]

;)

[socialismisinsidious]

it seems to me that the NABSW assumes the antagonistic differences not the author

he writes at the end of the article: "Many white American families -- who would likely be thrilled to adopt a black American baby -- now turn to countries like Korea or China to adopt Asian babies and toddlers. Different race, different culture, even a different language -- no problem."

this is a good point...it is pretty stupid to send AMERICAN babies to be adopted by someone in a foreign land---the NABSWs are only hurting the kids

[Tax-chick]

Sometimes black couples who want to adopt aren't considered rich enough, or they already have "too many" children to please the social-work establishment.

[free_european]

Yes, youre right. It is the NABSW that makes the assumption not neccessarily rhe author. It does seem strange to be shipping american babies overseas while childless couples are going to Asia to find children to adopt.

[Mr. K]

I live clost to Canada. Go there frequently. Black/White relations are MUCH BETTER in Canada.

A lot less of the ghetto/hip-hop/pimp culture there too

[Clemenza]

Also alot less black people. Seattle likes to pride itself on its racial tolerance, easy in a city that is only 9-10% black.

[Clemenza]

BTW: Canada still sux.

[sharktrager]

The country as a whole is 9-10% black.

My home town had Klan in the 70's and 80's and was maybe 2% black, if that.

[Peter Libra]

It might to be a long, long way from an incident,that I witnessed in 1983 in my native London, England. I was visiting after living in Canada for 27 years. I was on a crowded London bus. Nearing the East India Dock Road, the conductor kindly asked if someone could see a blind man off the bus. He was a large black man. A woman, who was white, agreed. As the bus pulled away, I saw her linking arms with the man. She had on her face a look of absolutely sublime beatitude. (God love her).

I read of an old sociological term and now cannot find it. The term indicates that some persons can gratify their senses .They might be doing something deliberately. This they feel merits the accolade of society in general.

I did see the 60 minutes program. Ah yes, I know Canadians. You see, if the baleful presence of the politically correct climate that exists in Canada- RULES. It may be a subconscious desire to appear so very, very right. There also could be a "novelty factor".

I earnestly wish them luck, however.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Adoptive mom comments:

Amercian couples go to other countries to adopt for a variety of reasons. 1. No one is going to show up on your doorstep and ask for the child back.

2. White American couples adopt black children from all over the world -- I have a friend who adopted from Haiti, and know of someone else who adopted from Africa.

3. Adoption in the US is a complicated expensive business, and finding young children can be difficult.

[ozarkgirl]

I really don't think it's a case of "cultural genocide". I know a lady, single mother who, due to lack of white babies, was unable to adopt. There are so many waiting, she wasn't at the top of the list. She wanted to adopt a black child.

Wonderful as her heart was, as blind to color as she was, if you take a child, any child and put them in a situation where they feel "different", is not the best situation for any child.

I do agree if there is any choice to put the child where they would feel comfortable, that's where they should be.

Why do I not wear a bikini to the grocery store, because I would feel "different". Why as a white person would I not want to live in a totally black neighborhood, because I would be "different", they would look at me, not because they had any prejudice, solely because I would stand out.

It's such a difficult question but I vote to put these children where they would feel most comfortable, despite the loving thoughts of potential parents.

One more thought, I knew a lady who had a "half black" child while she was in the military, later involved herself with a white guy. The little guy who was 4 when she took him to a daycare, commented "mommie, there are kids there that look like me!".

It's not a "race" thing, it's making the little kids feel comfortable in this crazy world.

[jocon307]

The article addressed your first point, and I was going to post this any, because I think a word was ommitted.

The author writes "But, given the size of the black population, for black families to adopt black children, black families would have to adopt kids at a rate four times faster than the adoption rate of white families."

I think he meant to say "for black families to adopt ALL black children" otherwise that sentance doesn't make sense. And, to be really a stickler here, it should be ALL AVAILABLE black children.

But, let's be positive, maybe all these little Americans going up to Canada can help start a new revolution up there!