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