White parents of adopted Black children in an era of racial reckoning: Challenges, tensions, and strategies

Abstract

This study explores White middle-class adoptive parents' experiences with parenting Black children (M age = 12.3), attending to how intersections of children's race, gender, and developmental stage informed and nuanced parents' approach to racial socialization. Background: Scholarly debate regarding the adoption of Black children by White parents centers on parents' ability to facilitate positive racial identity development. Limited work has explored how White parents' approach to racial socialization is shaped by Black children's gender and developmental stage, particularly as children grow older and encounter intensified racialized stereotypes.Method: Twenty-five White parents (11 lesbian mothers, seven gay fathers, seven heterosexual mothers) were selected from a larger sample of 128 adoptive families because they adopted Black (including biracial/multiracial) children, and were interviewed as their children entered adolescence. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Results: A typology emerged that captured parents' racial awareness and racial socialization approach: Minimizing and Reluctant, Worried and Fumbling, Aware but Cautious, and Reflexive and Purposeful. Additional cross-cutting themes centered on the role of the sociopolitical climate, gender, and developmental stage in racial socialization. Conclusion: Contemporary adoptive parents of Black children are often constrained by their own White racial frame, but some parents, especially those who are younger or have monoracial children, are able to translate awareness of the complexities involved in raising adopted Black children into meaningful action and understanding.

From safety in silence to speaking up for LGBTQ+ families: A reflection on the personal, professional, and political through a feminist lens

“…In the mid‐2000s, I began two streams of research: one on lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parent families, and one on young adults with LGBTQ+ parents. The first area of research blossomed into a 17‐year longitudinal study that has permitted me insights into queer and adoptive family processes, including socialization around family structure and race (e.g., Goldberg et al, 2016; Goldberg et al, 2022; Goldberg & Smith, 2016), parent advocacy and involvement in the school setting (e.g., Goldberg, Black, et al, 2017; Goldberg, Ross, et al, 2017; Goldberg & Smith, 2014, 2017), and parent and child mental health (Goldberg & Garcia, 2020; Goldberg & Smith, 2008, 2013). The second stream of research, on young adults with LGBTQ+ parents, has been especially personal.…”

LGBTQ family building: A guide for prospective parents. By Abbie E.Goldberg, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. 2022. pp. 295. $16.99 (paperback). ISBN: 978‐1‐4338‐3392‐2

“…Here too, Goldberg provides readers with critical historical context while also giving readers the information they need to ethically pursue this pathway to parenthood, should they choose to. For example, she acknowledges criticisms of transracial adoption that White parents cannot adequately prepare children of color for the experience of encountering and navigating racism (Goldberg et al, 2022; Killian & Khanna, 2019). At the same time, Goldberg acknowledges that when parents take seriously the responsibility of fostering their children's racial identity, connect them to same‐race contexts, and educate themselves about their children's identities/heritage, they are better positioned to help children develop positive racial identities.…”

Documentary analysis of the legal and policy framework of transracial adoption in South Africa

“…The shortage of prospective Black African adoptive parents is well documented, whereas foster care, especially by extended family, is a more popular option (Gerrand, 2018; Gerrand & Nathane‐Taulela, 2015; Gerrand & Nkomo, 2020; Gerrand & Stevens, 2019; Gerrand & Warria, 2020). Transracial adoption remains controversial in South Africa (Luyt et al, 2022; Church, 1996; Moos & Mwaba, 2007; Mosikatsana, 1995, 1997; Tanga & Kausi, 2017) as it is internationally (Ali, 2014; Branco, 2022; Butler‐Sweet, 2011; Goldberg et al, 2022; Kennedy, 2003; Roorda, 2007; Fenster, 2002).…”

“…Transracial adoption remains controversial in South Africa (Luyt et al, 2022;Church, 1996;Moos & Mwaba, 2007;Mosikatsana, 1995Mosikatsana, , 1997Tanga & Kausi, 2017) as it is internationally (Ali, 2014;Branco, 2022;Butler-Sweet, 2011;Goldberg et al, 2022;Kennedy, 2003;Roorda, 2007;Fenster, 2002).…”