![]() Related: 30 years later, this Korean adoptee finds ‘home’ againįinally, research shows that it costs more to adopt a white child in the US than it does to adopt a black child. According to the findings, 42 percent of adoptive parents’ most recently adopted children were “very fair or somewhat fair” in skin color, while 31 percent were “somewhat dark or very dark.” This study looked at 1,183 adoptive Michigan families who adopted children from 2007 to 2009, through both public and private adoption agencies. A study similar to that of the ACLU’s was conducted in 2010 in the state of Michigan. Research suggests that the skin color issue continues to be a problem across the US. When social workers were asked about this, they contended that it was to insulate dark-skinned children from rejection. They concluded that the practices of social workers favored children with more Caucasian features. In preparing a paper on this subject in 2017, I found a 1999 report from the American Civil Liberties Union which conducted a court-authorized review of 50 adoption case files in New York City. While white children waited 23.5 months on average, black children waited 39.4. However, of those who were adopted with public agency involvement, 49 percent were white.Īccording to the US Commission on Civil Rights, 2004 data shows that children with lighter skin were adopted more quickly out of foster care. Of the more than 400,000 children in foster care awaiting adoption in 2017, about 44 percent were white, while the majority were children of color. A 1999 study at the Institute of Black Parenting, a Los Angeles adoption agency, showed that as many as 40 percent of the African-American couples expressed a preference for a light-skinned or mixed-race child, regardless of their own complexion.Ĭhildren who are white are slightly more likely to be adopted out of foster care. Regardless of race, adopting parents prefer to adopt a light-skinned child. When African-American children are considered, the data suggest there is a preference for light skin and biracial children over dark-skinned children.”Īs a social worker with an interest in the social effects of skin color, I believe that the social work profession must be held accountable for its discriminatory practices. It's the loss of another life.Īccording to Washington University law school professor Kimberly Jade Norwood, “In the adoption market, race and color combine to create another preference hierarchy: white children are preferred over nonwhite. Related: For many, international adoption isn't just a new family. As a 2013 NPR investigation found, dark-skinned black children cost less to adopt than light-skinned white children, as they are often ranked by social workers and the public as less preferred. ![]() Social workers are often called upon to assess a newborn’s skin color, because skin color influences potential for placement. ![]() But research shows that darker-skinned children are repeatedly discriminated against, both by potential adoptive parents and the social workers who are charged with protecting their well-being. When it comes to adoption, Americans might assume that each child is treated equally.
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