Many white pre-adoptive parents believe that they are ready to adopt transracially because they are at ease with people of color. But we must look at life through the children’s eyes. They will be living in a society that is not yet fully comfortable with race nor color blind. People who are black, Latino, or Asian already know this—it’s in the air we all breathe, although the whites among us are often unaware.
Peggy McIntosh, in her article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” says that whites are taught not to recognize their power and privilege. She says, “I have come to see white privilege as an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks.” Her article, written in 1989, still resonates today. If you are white you need to recognize that your child of color will not come equipped with this knapsack of privilege.
The article is addressed to prospective adoptive parents, but has great advice for all of us. And good news -- it says this article is the first in a series.
Thanks for sharing the series. I look forward to reading more. It seems I have been in a community (not my surrounding one) that has been talking about this for years, now if we can move it to the general public.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this interesting article. The point of living in a diverse city and multicultural is so key for our children. Those in smaller / mostly white areas have much more challenges ahead.
ReplyDeleteThe cultural diversification in our girls' school makes it all worthwhile.