Interracial Adoption Essay, Research Paper

Interracial Adoption

Today, the United States has become more racially and ethnically diverse than it has been in the last few decades. Although there is basic equality among people of different cultural backgrounds, racial bigotry still lies beneath the surface. Racism is going to be existent for as long as there are people on this planet; there is no way around this fact. In contrast, views toward racial issues have shifted so that people now realize the importance of each race in America, and the combination of each one to form the American culture. Therefore, people who decide to adopt a child that is of a different race from what they are should not even allow racism to be a factor in their decision-making. There is always going to be a difference in opinion about every issue; it is inevitable. In a country where interracial marriages are accepted, interracial adoptions should be as well. Nothing can replace the sense of love in a family for the adopted child and for the adopting parents. Also, interracial adoption benefits both the parents and the child by bridging the culture gap and allowing them to be more open with themselves and their identities.

Matching a child with parents of his own race is thought to be healthy because the child will know his own cultural background. However, if there is no matching parent available for the child, it is not healthy to leave the child in an orphanage. It is very crucial for the child to feel the love of a family, especially in his early years. At an orphanage, a child may have the love of the people around him, but never the love of a mother, a father, a brother, or a sister. That type of family-bonding love can never be substituted. Having the love of a family gives the child a sense of belonging to someone and someone belongs to him. With that feeling, the child grows up with self-esteem, a feeling of security and a greater cultural awareness, especially if the child is of a different race. A child of a different race from his adoptive parents does not lose his identity, instead, he gains an awareness of diversity and the parents gain a multicultural awareness. With open-minded, qualified parents, both the child and the parents can learn from one another. Family love teaches a child about solidarity, which brings the teachings of virtue, sensitivity and assertiveness. Everyone has the need to feel loved, but the best love there can be is the love of a family. If that family is of a different race than the child but offers him the love of a real family, which not all children have even if they have a family, then there should be no obstacles preventing that love.

Exposure to a different race is positive because it allows people to relate with different races in society. For the child, he will be exposed to the culture of his foster parents. Studies have shown that children need the foundation of their lives to be based upon cultural experiences. The cultural experiences begin early in a child s life-even before he learns to speak. The child learns it from the language spoken at home and the mannerisms that parents display. People may ask what happens to the child s own culture. The answer is that the culture of the parents will be passed on to the child. After all, children are a product of their parents. For the parents, they find themselves discovering the culture of their new adopted child and become more open about cultural issues. In many cases, the parents try to incorporate the child s own culture into their own so that the child will grow up with knowledge of both. Psychological studies have shown that interracially adopted children deal with identity issues all adopted children face better than most because they handle it before they reach their turbulent teenage years.

Ultimately, there are many reasons why interracial adoption should be accepted; however, there will always be a difference in opinion no matter what. It is long overdue for racists to open up their eyes and finally realize that there is more to people than merely their skin color. Furthermore, the idea of adopting a child of a different race should not come too much of a surprise in a country where there are interracial marriages. This country is great for many reasons; one of which is that the American culture is one of many combined together. Any American tradition can be traced back to a foreign origin. The tradition is just a variation of some original one. This country is the youngest nation of the world, and it is also the strongest because of its people. It is a tightly woven cloth made from many types of string. Each type of string is representing a different race, nationality or ethnic background.