Self Assessment

I do believe I have done well with this website. I have invested a lot of time with finding articles, expanding my topic, and updating the site. I have become personally invested in this as well. I appreciate the opportunity to create one. I didn't realize how enlightening this experience would be. I have also incorporated lessons from class in the way I have constructed it. For example, visual arguments. I have picked throughout the website that support my arguments and views. I have done my best with the website and I do plan on keeping the website after this class.

Peer Review (w/Rubric)

For my peer review, I reviewed Jamal's website, Improving Black Communities in America. And the results are as reads:

Organization: Overall and Within Paragraphs: 18

Development: A) Analysis of Argument and Supporting Evidence; including Research Documentation as Relevant: 19

Development: B) Opposition and Refutation: 17

Delivery: N/A

Grammar/Punctuation: 19

Comments on other Blogs

http://thetransitionfromhighschooltocollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-media-in-libya_27.html#comments

 http://standhealthcare.blogspot.com/2011/04/pel-grant.html?showComment=1304092139197#c3866833677231912051


http://liveandgivelife.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/new-laws-crack-down-on-abortion-procedures/#comment-5


http://mmmidentity.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-am-not-my-hair.html?showComment=1304093694036#c3759289218343148216


http://lessdivorce.blogspot.com/2011/04/video-blog.html?showComment=1304093932286#c5290278362258547381

Vlog for English 002

Vlog

Interracial Adoption

Last month I posted a blog about interracial adopting (primarily Whites adopting Black children), and all of the controversy surrounding the subject.  I received a comment from one of my classmates saying that it bothered her that the child was from Africa and no the US (I didn't necessarily agree with her view, but I understood it). The majority of the examples I used were celebrities like Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Mary-Louise Parker, and new mother Sandra Bullock. Recently, actress Mariska Hargitay, a woman of Hungarian heritage, adopted a baby. Her daughter, beautifully named  Amaya Josephine, is Black. However, unlike Jolie, Madonna, and Parker her daughter was born in the United States, to American parents. To those who it felt uneasy about the subject, I want to know is it now "ok"? The complaints about a White woman not being able to do her Black daughter's hair? Teach her child their Black history from the perspective of a Black woman? Give them the "Black experience"? Is it now solved now that the baby we're speaking of is American? My answer to those questions would be, no. When raising a child everything will not be "ok." But when it truly comes nurturing and caring for a child those things shouldn't matter; and to a loving parent those things don't matter. The point of adoption is to place a child in home where they will be "better off" than the life they would have had with their birth parents, whether for financial or moral issues. My mother struggled with my hair, and we weren't always financially comfortable, but that's just it: everything isn't going to be perfect. Parenting isn't about being perfect, it's about being the best that you can to give your child what they need.

Discrimination Holds Back Prospective Parents

Adoption has never really been easy for families in the United States. For many years single mothers were not allowed to adopt. Gay couples were also discriminated against; the problem is they still are. Many conservative Americans (both Democrat and Republican) feel that gay couples not be able to adopt. The reasons for this concern are somewhat understandable. Critics feel that the life a child will experience will be too unconventional for them. They feel that it may cause distress for them, considering the teasing they may receive.  Others, like Virginian Sen. Tim Kaine, shy away from the subject because it leads to other controversial topics like gay rights and gay marriage. As a country that was based on Christian principles, this may make some people uneasy. Sen. Kaine, who is running for office is refusing to state whether he agrees with this or not. I think something needs to be said. How is it that we are in the year 2011 and we we're still prohibiting people from marrying and adopting children? To me this is no different than if a race of people (African American, Asian, Latino) were prohibited from adopting. Discrimination is discrimination no matter how you look at it. I believe that our adoption standards/requirements need to be updated. They are loving parents out there that are being looked over because of their sexual orientation, that should never be the case.

 ~Courtesy of the Washington Post

Self Evaluation

I am proud of my website. I am proud that I've stuck with it and took time to invest into it. Making sure each article that I read and write about is accurate. Making sure each story is relevant and as recent as possible and connected to whats going in our world today. This is a subject very near and dear to my heart and I am so glad that I was given an opportunity to research about and learn more about it. Adoption and the Foster Care system are rarely talked about, publicly, in our country. There often ignored until something tragic happens that captures the attention of the country for a while and then the subject returns to oblivion. I believe that I am doing my part to bring attention to this subject and the thousands of innocent children whom it affects. Few classes offer this opportunity to use a the new trend of blogging to do active research about topics we're actually interested in. I think I'v e done a good job of expressing my opinions on this site in a professional manner while also reporting the truth.

Interracial Adopting

Within the last few years interracial adoption has become quite popular. Still is rouses complaints with in the Black community when they see a White family raising a Black child. Blacks feel slighted as if the child is merely an accessory amongst the family's many collectable items. Some Blacks even become angry when they here about celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Mary-Louise Parker, and most recently Sandra Bullock with their Black children. My question is why? Why is it such a big deal who is raising the child if they love them and care for them? The main concern  for a child's well being should be if they are in a loving environment. As far as we know they are. If the tables were turned and Whites refused the adopt Black children, Blacks would be outraged. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson would be there in a heart beat. Some are upset that only African babies are being adopted by Whites and not African American babies (Sandra's child is from New Orleans). My answer to that is as difficult as life is for Black children in America, its far worse in many African countries. So, why does it matter to us who adopts Black children when its a well known fact that many Blacks do not adopt and haven't for some time? Well I guess it goes back to that painful stigma that White women, especially wealthy White woman, raise their children better than Black women. That Black women are some how unfit to take care of their own children. Remember the anger you felt when you watch Halle Berry's character cry in the bathroom when her child was taken away from her in Losing Isaiah? Remember that infamous line on the movie when Sam Jackson's character says, "Black babies belong with Black mothers"? This is why. Blacks feel like someone who is outside of their race cannot love a Black child like they can. I don't. I cringe when I hear comments like that. I think that if you truly love a child unconditionally, it doesn't have anything to do with their race. You will take care of them no matter what.  If we were to ask Theo and Mikaela Spielberg, Steven Spielberg's adopted children, how their lives were they would probably tell us that they had the love and support of their parents. Let's open our minds to the World. It is ok for family's to adopt children out of their race. Martin Luther King famously said people should be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character; he wasn't just talking about "us."

Sandra Bullock Son is my 'crown prince'

Campaign to increase Black Adoption

Is is a well known fact that African American children are adopted at a lesser rate than White children. However, few know what is being done about it. A few years a go a study, by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, showed that African American children make up 15% of American children. However, they make up 32% of the 510,000 children in the Foster care system. Although there was a law passed, the Multiethnic Placement Act passed in 1994, that said that it is illegal to delay/deny adoption because of race.   In response the these reports, the Advertising Council created ads, after requests from AdoptUsKids to promote African American adoption.  To commercials were direct toward a primarily African American audience, since they are more likely to adopt Black children (Single, Black women make up 2/3 of Black adoptive parents). It is great to know that there is research being done and that people are taking notice of the lack of Black adoption, but we nee more.  We need more families, not just African Americans, to adopt Black children. It is a disservice to Black children that they are being forgotten about. Every child deserves a loving environment to grow up in; regardless of gender or race.

~Courtesy of USA Today, 2009  

Minorities are more likely to end up in Foster care

In Oregon, a study was done that showed the child abuse rate for Whites and minorities is virtually the same. Forty-one percent of Oregon children endure some type of child abuse. Out of the minorities, the abuse rates for Native Americans was high and the abuse rate for Latino was the lowest out of all of the minorities. In fact, Native Americans are six times more likely to be placed in foster care than Whites and Blacks are four times more likely; this isn't just the case in Oregon, it is throughout the country. Native Americans and Blacks usually are not returned to their families, and if they are they spend more time in the system. Latinos are returned to their families more often than other races. A study done by Portland University, showed that some minorities are disproportionally represented in the system. Multnomah, an Oregon county, is trying to change the way juvenile judges look at cases, to decrease racial bias. These statistics are spell binding. Racism plays a huge part into which children are placed in the system. It also affects how the judges, which ultimately affects how many children are taken into foster care. Though it is nice to know that something is being done to change this I wonder how long will it take? What is being done, exactly? How many more children have to spend their lives in foster care simply because of the color of their skin? States all around the country should be trying to change their foster care systems as well.

~Courtesy of Michelle Cole, OregonLive.com

Lydia's Story

Lydia was the definition of a bad girl. She and her neighborhood "bad girls," were constantly in some form of trouble. They shoplifted, skipped school, and indulged in underaged drinking. Her mother, a single mother with three other children, became concerned and made a drastic decision. She put her youngest child in foster care. She filed a "persons in need of supervision" petition, and Lydia was placed in the system. This is when her things became complicated. Lydia tried marijuana in her first foster home. She experienced different forms of abuse in the first couple of foster homes. At one of her foster homes she was beat up by the neighborhood girls. In another she was bitten by a pit bull, she is left with a scar on her leg as a reminder of the attack. Many of her foster parents were in simply for the money, which is all too familiar to foster children around the country. When it was time for Lydia to "age out" of the system, when she turned eighteen, her caseworker stepped up to the plate to make sure she had somewhere to go. Her caseworker reached out to different programs to cover Lydia's living expenses. Her rent is covered by Human Resources Administration. The New York Times Neediest Cases also helped pay for her move-in expenses. I shared this story to show how a caseworker's participation in foster child's life is essential. A case worker's job is to be the advocate for the child. Many children, in the system, have case workers who couldn't care less for them. Lydia's is one of promise. With her rent paid for her, all she has to worry about is finishing school and getting a job. Her focus is solely on her future...

Courtesy of The New York Times

Crystal's Story

Years ago my Mother told me something that sparked my interest in child care. She informed that as children move through the foster system, from house to house, they lose their personal belongings. Usually these children have no place to store their things, such as a suitcase. They lose all childhood photos and toys, and even clothing; many times they are left only with the clothes on their backs. Crystal Martinez is an 18 year old who has lost most of her belongings. She was neglected and abused by her biological family and was taken in by the Texas Child Protective Services at age seven. Three years ago, in 2009, she was sent to the San Antonio residential treatment center.
When she completed her treatment six months later, she went to go claim her belongings from the State, that had taken them in plastic bags when she was seven years old. It was then when she realized that most of what they had taken had been lost. Luckily, Crystal found help in a woman named Mary Christine Reed, who helped her track down two boxes (half-full) of her personal belongings, which was a far cry from what she had given them. There are 30, 000 children in the system and this scenario is very common. However, these children are not as fortunate as Crystal, and often times never see their mementos. Hopefully, more people will see these types of stories and do something about it. A solution to this problem would be to provide suitcases and/or storage bins to foster children. At the time when my Mother informed me of this problem we planned to create a foundation to do just that, it did not happen. I still hope to one day create some kind of program to help children in the system with these types of problems.

Courtesy of the New York Times

Artem's Story

Artem is a, now eight-year old, boy from Siberia who was adopted by Tory-Ann Hansen in 2009. Hansen is a single mother and nurse who lives in Arizona. The Russia orphanage, where he was located, was impressed by her affection toward Artem and were quite confident that he was in good hands. That was until the seven-year old arrived back in Russia with a letter from Hansen saying "I no longer wish to parent this child" and asking for the adoption to be annulled. Hansen claims that Artem was "violent" and "mentally unstable." However, he claims that while living with Hansen he was abused and even reenacted incidents where Hansen pulled him by his hair. Sadly, Artem is not unfamiliar with neglect. He was born to a teenaged mother whose parental rights were taken due to her alcoholism. Russian authorities claim that Hansen's reports are false and that young Artem is merely "stubborn."  Due to the media uproar, the Russian foreign minister has demanded a freeze on all adoptions between Russia and the United States. I'm disgusted by this entire incident. Regardless of her inability to control him, she had absolutely no right to send him off like stray dog for which she no longer had need. I don't even want to think about what could have happened to him during his two layovers (Tennessee and Washington DC). I find it impossible to see 34-year old Hansen as the victim in this situation. Artem, who was slowly adjusting to his environment, has now been stripped of his friends and taken back to a Russian orphanage. This child is a prime example of the many children who are abused and neglected by their adoptive or foster parents. With this website I wish to tell the stories of the many Artems around the world.






Courtesy of Daily Mail