Top Reasons to Choose a Black Family to Adopt Your Baby

If you are Black and are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, or perhaps you have a planned pregnancy, but you would like to learn more about adoption for your baby, you will likely want to consider an African American family for your baby. This topic tends to be a complicated one, and we will explain 7 reasons why you might like to choose an African American family for your baby so that you have a full understanding of why this is an idea you might like to consider.

There are Black Families Available to Adopt and Provide a Loving Home

When considering various adoption agencies, you will learn more about the adoption process, and notice that adoption agencies tend to have many types of waiting adoptive families. Some agencies may tend to have more diverse families, while some have less diversity. Some adoption agencies may have several Black or African-American waiting families, and some may not. This is something you should be able to get a sense of pretty quickly, when working with a reputable adoption agency. Many adoption agencies, such as Open Arms, actually have multiple Black or African American families (as well as many other races) currently in their pool of waiting adoptive families, You can ask your adoption counselor about the diversity in their adoptive families when reaching out to an agency, to make sure they will have the type of families you would like for your baby.

While you are considering adoption you may be wondering what the family will be like for your child and it is more than natural for race to be a part of that consideration. If you are placing an African American baby for adoption you might be wanting them to grow up with a “black family” so to speak or with at least one parent of the same race. Agencies such as Open Arms Adoption have black families waiting to adopt a baby so that is an option if it is one you would like.

You Want Your Child to Have the Same Race as the Adoptive Parents

Another reason that many Birth Mothers prefer that their child be with a family of the same race is so their child doesn’t stand out, and the family doesn’t become a conspicuous family. If your child is Black, and their entire immediate family is white, no matter where they go, it is obvious that there is a story there, likely that they are adopted. This can bring unwanted attention constantly, even if the attention is not specifically negative attention, you know that your child will be looked at and noticed when going out with their family, which may not be what you want.

If you choose a Black family for your child though, they won’t necessarily have the same issue. While family structures tend to look very different today than they did several years ago, strangers wouldn’t specifically notice Black children if they look like their parents, as nothing screams “unusual” in that type of situation. This can give them much more privacy, and an opportunity to keep their story private if they wish. A child that is obviously not biologically related to their parents is more likely to experience being questioned about their story, when they are not necessarily interested in sharing it.

Black Parents Will Have Shared Life Experience with Your Child

At the end of the day, when it comes to dealing with racism and the microaggressions that a Black child is likely to face when growing up in the United States, Black parents will be the ones who have experience and can help their child with these issues. African American children are going to face these struggles, which may be more prevalent as they get older, likely in high school. While white parents can absolutely be advocates for the Black and African American Community and their child, they won’t have the shared experience and be able to offer the same level of support and understanding that Black Parents will be able to offer their child(ren). We know that Black people face different issues than White people. We know that a Black man is going to be treated differently than a White man. So, it is inevitable, that parents who have experience with this will be able to assist their child in a more profound way.

Shared Culture vs. Transracial Adoption

Another big factor in choosing African American adoptive parents for an African American baby is their culture and how it will play into their life. Transracial adoption can make this difficult at times and may be a reason that you consider finding a black family to adopt your baby. Things like how to take care of African American hair, foods, language and more are important in a child’s life. White women are much less likely to know how to take care of black hair than Black women or African American women, and while it can be taught, it is not exactly the same. The same goes for food. While a White family is fully capable of researching African American cuisine, and either making it at home or seeking it out by going to restaurants, they don’t have the same experience with it as a Black family. And last is the language piece. Black couples might naturally speak differently be it with slang or otherwise than Caucasian adoptive parents. This is an area that cannot truly be taught. Culture in an important factor in choosing the race of an Adoptive Family for your baby.

Your Baby. Your Choice of Adoptive Parents.

If you decide that you would like a Black family to adopt your baby, be it A Black Man and a Black Woman, a Same-Sex Couple, or another family makeup, it will still be YOUR adoption plan. If you are interested in choosing the family for baby, but do not actually want an Open Adoption, that is absolutely something that you can do if you choose to work with Open Arms Adoption. Also, If you would like to move forward with adoption for your baby, but you are not interested in choosing the prospective adoptive parents, that is completely fine as well.

We are able to take your preferences into account, whether they be for race, lifestyle, geographic location or whatever you like, your Adoption Counselor will discuss all sorts of things with you such as: race of family, type of family, area they live and other factors. These conversations will help to determine which family is the best fit for your baby. And, YOU will be the one to decide the level of openness (if any) you choose to have in your adoption. It is also important to note that just because you may not want to choose the family, that does not mean the state foster care system needs to be involved at all. We make sure that your baby goes to a permanent, loving, safe home that you would feel good about!

If you want to learn more about adoption, view current waiting families at Open Arms, the adoption process, or why adoption might be a good option for your situation, give us a call at 1-888-OPENARMS. We are a 24-hour adoption agency and can help you with resources and whatever else you may need based on your circumstances.