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White Parents, Black Children looks at the difficult issue of race in transracial adoptions-particularly the adoption by white parents of children from different racial and ethnic groups. Despite the long history of troubled and fragile race relations in the United States, some people believe the United States may be entering a post-racial state where race no longer matters, citing evidence like the increasing number of transracial adoptions to make this point. However, White Parents, Black Children argues that racism remains a factor for many children of transracial adoptions. Black children raised in white homes are not exempt from racism, and white parents are often naive about the experiences their children encounter.
This book aims to bring to light racial issues that are often difficult for families to talk about, focusing on the racial socialization white parents provide for their transracially adopted children about what it means to be black in contemporary American society. Blending the stories of adoptees and their parents with extensive research, the authors discuss trends in transracial adoptions, challenge the concept of "colorblind" America, and offer suggestions to help adoptees develop a healthy sense of self.
List of contents
Foreword by Joe R. Feagin
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Transracial Adoption: Considering Family, Home, and Love, and the Paradoxes of Race Matters
Chapter 2: Contextualizng Transracial Adoption: Demographic Trends, Introducing the Families
Chapter 3: Transracial Adoption, White Racial Knowledge, and the Trouble with "Love is Enough"
Chapter 4: Research on Transracial Adoption: What Do We Know?
Chapter 5: Cross-Cultural Race Pioneers: White Adoptive Parents Learning and Not Learning about Race
Chapter 6: White Parents Teaching Black Children about Race
Chapter 7: Addressing Race with Your Children: Practical Advice for White Adoptive Parents
Appendix A: A Note about Our Methods and Methodology
Appendix B: Transracial Adoption in the 2000 Census and the National Survey of Adoptive Paernts (2007)
Notes
References
Index
About the Authors
About the author
Darron T. Smith is a frequent commentator on issues of race, including a New York Times post on transracial adoption and Haiti. He is assistant professor at Wichita State University and the coeditor of the book Black and Mormon.Cardell K. Jacobson is Karl G. Maeser Professor at Brigham Young University and the author or editor of several books, including Statistical Handbook on Racial Groups in the United States.Brenda G. Juárez is assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, specializing in social justice education.Joe R. Feagin is a U.S. sociologist and social theorist who has conducted extensive research on racial and gender issues, especially in regard to the United States. He is currently the Ella C. McFadden Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University. Feagin has done much research work on race and ethnic relations and has served as the scholar in residence at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He has written over 60 books, one of which (Ghetto Revolts) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He is the 2006 recipient of a Harvard Alumni Association achievement award and was the 1999-2000 president of the American Sociological Association.
Summary
With increasing numbers of transracial adoptions in the U.S., White Parents, Black Children brings to light the difficult racial issues that are often challenging for families to talk about. This book is written to help parents, educators, and others working with children understand the issues and help children develop a healthy understanding of themselves.
