Study Finds That 1994 Adoption Law That Was Supposed To Help Black Children Hasn’t

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Back in the early 1990s, legislators found that the race-matching practices of adoption agencies and social services was resulting in a disproportionate number of black children in the foster care system. In 1994 despite the virulent opposition of the National Association of Black Social Workers the Multiethnic Child Placement Act, which prohibits the discussion of race during the adoption process, was passed. The goal of the law was to give black children an equal chance of being adopted. According to a new study commissioned by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, that hasnt been the case. While the numbers of black adoptions have increased by a small margin, black children still disproportionately fill foster homes. And then theres the issue of black children being adopted into white homes without and discussion with parents about social challenges the children might face Because the law forbids discussion of race during the adoption process, it prevents social workers from preparing white parents for the challenge of raising black children in a largely white environment, said the report, titled Finding Families for African American Children: The Role of Race and Law in Adoption From Foster Care. It cited studies showing that dark-complexioned children in white homes tend to struggle with identity issues related to skin color, self-esteem and discrimination that their new parents are often not equipped to handle.