Can a White parent successfully raise Black children ?

Surely everyone is familiar with the Rachel Dolezal story---just in case you are not, she is a White woman from Spokane Washington who has been lying and pretending to be a Black woman for about the past decade. One of the 'reasons' or excuses she gave for doing this was that 'as the parent of two young Black men, she had to go there with the experience'--implying that as a White woman she could not have properly raised Black children with a healthy sense of self and identity. I immediately thought of all of the people on these forums who are raising children of a different race successfully and was annoyed and offended by her implication. Certainly we as adoptive parents have struggles that others may not have, but I do not feel that race is a deciding factor in one's ability to parent a child appropriately. I would love to hear other's thoughts on the subject---

Of course a white parent can successfully raise a black child. The parent doesn't whitewash the realities the child will face and is open and honest, they can have a successful relationship and then child can have a productive life. A lot depends on the child's psyche. I think with Rachel Dolezal there was a lot more going on in terms of abuse. She didn't just reject her race, she rejected her parents.

I'm a writer in an online essay writing service and also i'm a parent. I adopted a baby. Thank you friends for your support and suggestions. You gave me a new life.

WHITE OR BLACK, WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IN CASE OF A BABY, or human, every one have blood color is red isint it? ..black or white is not a problem th color is vary in different regions, in kerala medium color peoples , one of my friend he is in usa , ha has the ceo of medical billing service he says there black and white people, and another frends in dubai , ceo ofa web design company dubai there is many people black, white, medium color all levels so note seperate with colors

Unfortunately, color does matter. If it didn't, the Rachel Dolezal story would be moot.

We are white parents of a multi-racial boy. He's now 24 and quite well-adjusted. We have other children as well (biological) and for us, they key has been to raise each individual child, individually. Sounds simple, but what it means is that there's no one-size-fits-all for children. Biological or adopted, that is a truth. When focused on the individual rather than the race, obstacles can be tackled, problems talked through, and love given and accepted.

I think that it is possible to do a great job being white parents to black children. I believe a human is much more than their race or color, BUT I will never deny that there is a major difference between living the white experience and the black experience in America. Pretending your kids of color are the same race as you, if they are not, is detrimental to them. I think part of being a successful white parent raising a child of color involves integrating people of color into your community. Your children NEED people of color, of their same race, as role models. They need to see people who look like them and share their skin color. They need to know it is normal to be brown or black.This article here is really helpful: https://adoption.com/trasracial-adoptee-angela-tuc... Angela Tucker also has a video series called The Adopted Life you can google and find, where she interviews a lot of transracially-adopted teens. Highly recommend it.

My wife and i adopted a beautiful boy from Ghana 5 years ago, so far so good; Best decision we have ever made! My wife and I are both white and would be happy to answer any questions you have for us.

Yes! White people can successfully raise black children. There was a time when I had concerns about transracial adoptions (and I still have those concerns on specific cases - e.g. Sandra Bullock), but overall and in general, I'm a huge proponent of transracial adoptions now. FWIW, I think Rachel Dolezal is a nutcase. She's a liar and quite possibly mentally ill.

Hi,This is a very important question, but on the subject of adoption, you must be accompanied by specialists in the field.In which country do you live and in which country do you want to adopt?Me and my husband, we tried to adopt but without great success. A friend recommended us a law firm that we haveconsulted. They helped us understand the process and the different steps to follow. Thanks to them, we were able to adopt 2 children in 5 yearsI leave you their email address: helpusadopt@europe.comThey also have a website on which you can read about them:

Color is not important in raising the child as long as you raise him in a nurturing and nice environment . Be sure to connect him with his or her cultural heritage though.

This may be off topic from the original post. But my wife and I are in the beginning stages of adoption. We are a caucasian couple looking to adopt an African American child. Problem is that we live in a state (Colorado) with pretty strict agency only adoptions, and also, it is very low in the African American demographic. Do any of you know national agencies that we could look into? Or is it better to go through faith based services? We have looked into that a bit, and we are raised Christian, but do not have any active ties to christianity, although we are both very spiritual people. Any advice or suggestions would be tremendously appreciated!Thanks

:smile:Sounds simple, but what it means is that there's no one-size-fits-all for children. Biological or adopted, that is a truth. When focused on the individual rather than the race, obstacles can be tackled, problems talked through, and love given and accepted.

You should focus on the individual but if you think your black child and white child will have the same experiences, you have your head in the sand. Has your black child ever been profiled or followed in a store? I bet your white child hasn't. Pretending race doesn't matter hurts the child who isn't white.