NEW YORK — Several leading child-welfare groups today were to urge an overhaul of federal laws dealing with transracial adoption, arguing that black children in foster care are ill-served by a “colorblind” approach meant to encourage adoption by whites.
“The view that we can be colorblind is a wonderful, idealistic perspective, but we don’t live there,” said Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, who wants parents to be better trained to deal with a child’s culture. “If we want to do the best for the kids, we have to look at their realities.”
Groups backing the proposals include the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the Child Welfare League of America, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the National Association of Black Social Workers.
Pertman stressed his institute and its allies were not opposed to transracial adoption.
