40
;e 12-B-Friday, September 5, 1980-The Michigan Daily
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AP Photo
Burgers and bones
Bay City's fast food industry appears to be catering to the dogs. But the shaggy-haired canine in the drive-thru line probably
prefers bones to shakes.
University prof advises ending
practice of trans-racial adoption
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By SUSAN RACEY
An adoption practice which allows a
couple of one race to adopt children of
another should be eliminated, a
University professor of social work con-
tends.
SProf. Howard Brabson explained that
as a result of trans-racial adoption, a
black child growing up in a white com-
munity is treated differently than his
white peers.
"PARENTS WANT TO integrate
the child into a melting pot that won't
melt him," he said.
Brabson is president of the National
Association of Black Social Workers
(NABSW), which is committed to child
welfare and the strengthening of black
family unity. Part of this concern is ex-
pressed in hard-line opposition to trans-
racial adoptions.
The NABSW holds that trans-racial
adoptions do not reflect altruistic
motives, but rather a sharp decline in
the availability of white children. Brab-
son added it is impossible for white
parents to fully transmit an understan-
ding of black culture or the techniques
for coping with prejudice and racism.
"WE'RE NOT SAYING that a great
deal of love doesn't exist in such
families;" he said, "but that it must
overcome enormous problems."
Brabson said he is not convinced by
the proverb "love conquers all." In a
recent interview, he called attention to
an issue which he termed "love versus
socialization."
"I was not saying that I did not
believe that white adults could not love
black children," Brabson explained,
"but rather that love does not social-
ize. And in terms of trans-racial adop-
tion, we are talking about socializa-
tion."
BRABSON SAID his first priority is
the quality of life for the adopted black
child. He spoke of the child's probable
future identity problem living in a white
family, and called it "a no-win
situation."
Social workers in many state adop-
tion agencies also oppose trans-racial
adoptions. The adoption of black
children by white adults in Michigan
has stopped. However, Brabson said,
this cessation is not nationwide and ap-
pears to be on the upswing.
White couples are the predominant
candidates for adopting due to standar-
ds requiring middleclass status, ex-
plained Eliana Papdakis of Catholic
Social Services in Ann Arbor. With an
abundancy of white couples, white in-
fants are adopted quickly, leaving "dif-
ficult-to-place" children - those who
are black, handicapped, older, or
members of a sibling group - waiting
in institutions.
PAPADAKIS EXPLAINED there is a
dire need for adoptive black parents
and stressed the need for publicity of
the subsidized adoption program which
exists in the state. Michigan is only one
of a handful of states which offers such
subsidies.
Brabson said the nationalization of
such a program is a major goal of the
NABSW. "Subsidized adoptions would
enable us to better assist families, as
well as the child, serving as an
equalizer," he claimed.
"State welfare organizations are
paying out huge sums to maintain the
children in foster homes or in-
stitutions," he continued. "Wouldn't it
make more sense to invest the same
money in subsidized adoptions?"
Gail Sharley of the city's Department
of Social Services added a medical sub-
sidy may also be awarded to'adoptive
families in addition to the support sub-
sidy. Both grants are based upon the
child's need as determined by the
department, she said. Sharley said an
additional benefit of such subsidies is
their effect of obliterating the
discrimination that has been implicit in
adoption standards for years.
This story was reprinted from the
summer edition of The Daily.
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