Minority

Afro-American Adoptions.
We have a special heart of Afro-American (AA) adoptions. And there are many minority infants that need permanent loving homes. The generally accepted statistic is that there are 10 AA children available for adoption for every child placed. This may include the foster care system and the numerous older children; I’m not sure. But as hard as it is to find AA birthmothers committed to adoption, adoptive families willing to take black children are even more difficult to find. Consequently, many professionals will not work with AA birthmothers. Long ago, we accepted the extra work that comes with minority adoptions. This is something we do as a ministry not just to make a living. We reduce our fees by half. This is not because black children are of less value, but simply because the families willing to adopt them are operating on a lower budget. We have adopted four Afro-American children and two biracial children ourselves. Economics played an important part in our decision to adoption a minority child. And we don’t regret it a bit. They have added a lot of spice to our lives.

But we have learned there are some differences in doing minority adoptions. It is also important to realize no matter how careful you are, your birthmother can still change her mind for reasons unforeseen.

*We do not recommend that adoptive parents invest too much in living expenses unless there is some overriding factor compelling their birthmothers to place. If you have been working with your Birthmothers for a month or two and it is near the end of her pregnancy, living expenses might be appropriate.

*The kind of relationship you want to develop with your Birthmothers is one of family. Make sure that her family also considers you family. Talk regularly and try to talk with her relatives.

* Remember that it is your birthmothers’s mother or aunt who is most likely to step in and claim the baby at the hospital. Often they will tell us that they are leaving the choice to your birthmother; in reality, they mean they are keeping their cards close and only playing them at the last minute.

* It is appropriate in many cases not to retain legal help right after you match. If there are no living expenses involved, you can just let your relationship develop (or not) before paying a retainer. In many states we work with professionals that understand that reality of AA adoption. They will take little or no retainer or they will refund most of it if your birthmothers does not place. But don’t assume anything, ask.

* Keep in mind that it may take more than one birthmothers to get your baby. That’s okay; be patient, God has one of these little cuties with your name on it. The only way you won’t get one is by quitting.

Biracial Adoptions.
From experience we have found that biracial situations have an usually high placement percentage. Biracial (Caucasian/Afro-American) children are awful cute, too. It is sad that we do not have more adoptive couples wishing to adopt these mixed race children.

For reasons that I’m not sure that we can explain, most of our birthmothers expecting biracial babies that are serious enough to match do follow through and place. Again, our fees are reduced and many professionals doing the legal work will do the same. We usually try to put a cap on living expenses to keep these situations affordable.