Abstract
Transracial adoption (TRA) has a long history of controversy centering around the question of whether White families, regardless of how well-intentioned, can prepare children of color to navigate a racist society. Religiously embedded messages of “we’re all God’s children” can unintentionally promote a “color blindness” that further exacerbates this inability to equip children of color. In this chapter, I will briefly review the history and contradictory research on TRA that has further polarized the debate about the long-term impact of placing children of color in White homes. Through case examples, I will introduce the complicated journey of adoption stories, involving birth families, foster and/or adoptive families, social workers, and other helpers. Interventions will focus on how to (1) counter destructive societal discourses on race, religion, and power; (2) increase parental cultural, spiritual, and racial competence; and (3) support racial, cultural, and spiritual identity development. The goal is to give therapists collaborative tools to recognize and expand upon the hidden strengths and resiliencies intertwined in adoption journeys.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barn, R. (2013). ‘Doing the right thing’: Transracial adoption in the USA. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 36(8), 1273–1291. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2013.770543
Belanger, K., Copeland, S., & Cheung, M. (2008). The role of faith in adoption: Achieving positive adoption outcomes for African American children. Child Welfare, 87(2), 99–123.
Crolley-Simic, J., & Vonk, M. E. (2011). White international transracial adoptive mothers’ reflections on race. Child & Family Social Work, 16, 169–178.
Esmiol Wilson, E. (2018). From assessment to activism: Utilizing a justice-informed framework to guide spiritual and religious clinical interventions. In E. Esmiol Wilson & L. A. Nice (Eds.), Socially just religious and spiritual interventions: Ethical uses of therapeutic power, AFTA Springer Briefs. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. (2008). Finding families for African American children: The role of race & law in adoption from foster care: Policy & practice perspective. New York: The Evan B Donaldson Adoption Institute.
Gillum, N., & O’Brien, M. (2010). Adoption satisfaction of Black adopted children. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 1656–1663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.07.005
Hays, P. (2008). Addressing cultural complexities in practice. New York: American Psychological Association.
Howell-Moroney, M. (2014). The empirical ties between religious motivation and altruism in foster parents: Implications for faith-based initiatives in foster care and adoption. Religions, 5, 720–737. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel5030720
Huh, N. S., & Reid, W. J. (2000). Intercountry, transracial adoption and ethnic identity: A Korean example. International Social Work, 43(1), 75–87.
Lee, J., Vonk, M. E., & Crolley-Simic, J. (2015). Religion and cultural and racial socialization among international transracial adoptive parents. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, 24(1), 40–57. https://doi.org/10.1179/1053078915z.00000000022
Malott, K., & Schmidt, C. (2012). Counseling families formed by transracial adoption: Bridging the gap in the multicultural counseling competencies. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 20(4), 384–391. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480712451231
Marr, E. (2011). “I’ll have the melting pot soup with a side of Black:” Transracial adoption and the racial-ethnic color line. Michigan Sociological Review, 25, 33–52.
McRoy, R., & Griffin, A. (2012). Transracial adoption policies and practices: The US experience. Adoption & Fostering, 36(3–4), 38–49.
National Association of Black Social Workers. (1972). National Association of Black Social Workers position statement on trans-racial adoptions. New York: National Association of Black Social Workers.
Neito, L. (2010). Beyond inclusion, beyond empowerment: A developmental strategy to liberate everyone. Olympia, WA: Cuetzpalin.
Padilla, J. B., Vargas, J. H., & Chavez, H. L. (2010). Influence of age on transracial foster adoptions and its relation to ethnic identity development. Adoption Quarterly, 13, 50–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926751003662598
Perry, S. (2014). Conservative Christians and support for transracial adoption as an alternative to abortion. Social Science Quarterly, 95(2), 380–392.
Raible, J. (2015). Introduction to the special issue: Race, religion, and rescue in adoption. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, 24(1), 1–6.
Schultz, J. D., West, J. G., & MacLean, I. S. (1999). Encyclopedia of religion in American politics (Vol. 2). Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Selman, P. (2009). The rise and fall of intercountry adoption in the 21st century. International Social Work, 52(5), 575–594.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 American Family Therapy Academy
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rogers, B., Nice, L. (2018). Finding the Hidden Resiliencies: Racial Identity and Spiritual Meaning in Transracial Adoption. In: Esmiol Wilson, E., Nice, L. (eds) Socially Just Religious and Spiritual Interventions. AFTA SpringerBriefs in Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01986-0_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01986-0_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-01985-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-01986-0
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)