econgirl
  • Home
  • blog
  • Recipes
  • Links
  • Liz's 15 Minute Guides

BLOG

Haiti: Raising the Issue of International and Interracial Adoption

2/7/2010

3 Comments

 
The earthquake in Haiti has put a spotlight on international and interracial adoption, especially in light of the bizarre attempt by a church group to illegally transport children out of Haiti.  In this article in Newsweek, the author airs a number of concerns she has about white families adopting children of other ethnicities from abroad.

Adopting a child, no matter where that child is from, presents unique challenges.  The same is true for having a mixed-race family, whether that family is the result of adoption or of interracial marriage.  The author is right in suggesting that people considering adoption should not take these issues lightly—and most don’t. 

However, I do take issue with the author’s concerns that white families who adopt children of other ethnicities are less able to celebrate that child’s culture, or that families looking to adopt would do better to adopt American children first.  With regards to interracial adoption, it is again certainly true that interracial families face challenges that other families don’t.  However, skin color is not necessarily the same as culture.  A white child from Berlin does not have the same culture as a white ranch family in Montana; a Black Christian family in Virginia does not have the same culture as a Black Muslim child from West Africa.  Both of these families would face the same challenge (or opportunity!) as a white family adopting a Haitian child in terms of learning about and celebrating their child’s culture. 

As to whether it is better to adopt at home or internationally, I can only say that all children need and deserve to have loving families and sufficient resources.  It is a tragedy that not all children do have these things, regardless of where they are.   When the author suggests that it would be better to adopt at home than from abroad, she falls into the exact mindset that she is critiquing—that adopting children are status symbols, signs of a parent’s virtue, and adopting children from the U.S. is of higher virtue than adopting from abroad.  The fact is, for most parents, adoption is not about doing the most good.  It is about growing a loving family, in a way that works for them. 

International adoption and interracial adoption are complicated issues, and opinions on them range widely—as do the backgrounds of those who express opinions.  However, among the responses to these articles, I have seen few comments from people who have been in the position of being adopted by a family of another nationality and ethnicity.  Because I believe that this perspective is important to informing how we think about this issue, I have asked Nicole Schultz to contribute a guest post on this issue.  Nicole was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, placed in an orphanage by her biological father, and adopted by a white American family.  Her post is below.   If you have any questions about her experience, please post them in the comments and I will relay them to her. 
3 Comments
nicole
2/7/2010 05:12:23 am

I really like your spin on this, Econgirl. I think you nailed some great points. I always get annoyed with people who are so quick to pass judgement on things they have never truly experienced.

Reply
Ray Ban Sunglasses Sale link
7/11/2012 11:12:38 am

I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post.hope to see more of your wonderful article, thank you.

Reply
Coach Outlet Store link
7/11/2012 11:20:40 am

I will make sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I really like your writing style, good information.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    About Liz

    I have worked in economic policy and research in Washington, D.C. and Ghana. My husband and I recently moved to Guyana, where I am working for the Ministry of Finance. I like riding motorcycle, outdoor sports, foreign currencies, capybaras, and having opinions. 

    Archives

    December 2016
    November 2016
    July 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    March 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    October 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009

    Categories

    All
    Auto Industry
    Behavioral Economics
    Budget
    China
    Conflict
    Corruption
    Crime
    Currency
    Development
    Dollar
    Economic Data
    Economists
    Environment
    Fashion
    Federal Reserve
    Finance
    Food
    Gender
    Ghana
    Haiti
    Health Care
    India
    Inflation
    Microeconomics
    Money
    Politics
    Poverty
    Race
    Rcts
    Reading Recommendations
    Regulation
    Religion
    Sports
    Stimulus
    Survey
    Taxes
    Technology
    Trade
    Travel
    Viewing Recommendations

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • blog
  • Recipes
  • Links
  • Liz's 15 Minute Guides