Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 11 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 9 months ago by
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If a black foster parent has a white foster child, should they go to extra lengths to ensure that the child has some access to what is commonly thought of as ‘white’ music, movies, etc.,if the main family and church experiences will be predominantly black? Or will the kids get enough exposure from outside sources so there’s no need to seek out more experiences?
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Name : Katherine, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 46, City : Winston-Salem, State : NC, Country : United States, Occupation : social worker, Social class : Middle class,Do agencies routinely place white children with black families?
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Name : ED25459, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 46, City : Kansas City, State : MO, Country : United States,Interesting question since it is widely assumed that white parents adopting a black child have an obligation to expose her to African-American culture. Seems to me that the best answer on either side would be for the family to go to integrated gatherings, churches, etc., and to have friends of various colors so the child can experience people of different races mixing without tension. Most of the children up for adoption or foster care in my state are black, and I have often wondered what the social climate would be like (for both myself and the child) if I were to adopt a black child.
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Name : Theo24738, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Athens, State : GA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Look around. Everything is oriented toward white people. There is no way that child could escape his or her white culture.
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Name : Virgin-Queen, City : Ft. Payne, State : AL, Country : United States,First, the situation you speak of is very rare. However, it has happened. So, to answer your question, I would say no, because whites in this country generally don’t identify with a particular culture, as the mainstream society pretty much flows with their ideals. Why would a black person need to educate a white child on their heritage when they will learn about it every day in school? When they look at the television or other forms of media, they will also see people of their own race. Whites in America are the accepted culture, so there is no need to teach a white child about it. However, if the child’s parents came from a non-American background from a culture whose lifestyle was vastly different from Americans, it would be important they had a sense of who they were. For example, what if the child were from Russia? Even if the skin color is the same, culturally things won’t add up, and for the sake of a healthier identity, the child should learn about his or her heritage. Yet, I would think this would apply to black or white parents, as this situation would be a matter of cultural identity, more so than racial.
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Name : Kristina26274, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Washington, State : DC, Country : United States, Occupation : Transcriber, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I think it’s important that black families who adopt white children make sure the children are comfortable with all aspects of who they are, but I don’t think the imperative is as strong to make sure that the child has access to white/European culture or cultures, because in this society, it is impossible NOT to be exposed to them. ‘White’ is the default.
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Name : Jennifer31036, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 32, City : St. Paul, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Non-Profit, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I would think that it’s a good idea for these parents to expose their foster white kids to European culture, and different types of European culture, depending on what the kids’ background is. I really don’t get what people mean when they say that America’s full of ‘white culture’ at all! Are Ukrainians white? I would say so. Is their culture ‘typically American’? Depends on what you mean by that and what part of the country you’re living in (e.g. the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (and other Orthodox churches run on the old calendar, meaning that Christmas and Easter are at different times). If white parents are expected to celebrate Kwanzaa if they have black foster children (or Chinese New Year if they have Chinese kids), then I don’t see why black (or other minority parents) can’t celebrate, say, Sinterklaus with their adopted (or foster) child who happens to be Dutch-American.
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Name : Cynthia31758, Gender : F, Age : 23, City : Toronto, State : NA, Country : Canada, Social class : Upper middle class,Keep them away from other black folks. You don’t want them to become criminals, do you?
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Name : John29276, City : St. Louis, State : MO, Country : United States,Chances are the kid is going to learn more about white people than black people. I’m black and I know more about white people than black people. The only time we learn in school about a race other than white people is February (Black History Month) and we learn the same thing every time. The kid is fine, and if she wants to find her ‘heritage’ anymore than what she learns everyday, that should be her choice.
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Name : Deenie25808, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Buddhist, Age : 13, City : Richmond, State : VA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class,I found some of the responses to your question bordering on racist. Speaking as a ‘privileged’ white man (isn’t that the current slang for us?), I say that Black foster parents should attempt to educate their Caucasian foster children about their heritage. For example, my heritage consists of French, Irish, German and Canadian. I have a deep interest in French (and French-Canadian) culture as my name is French and my great-grandparents came to the US from Europe via Canada (Quebec and Ontario). A white foster-child (or adopted child) would benefit from knowing this, and the foster or adoptive parent may learn some cool stuff, too. Thanks for asking the question and I’m glad some people are beyond seeing the world in only Black and White!
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Name : Bill, Gender : M, City : n/a, State : NA, Country : United States,We are all people and it doesn’t matter if your green, blue and from Timbucktoo as long as the child is loved and happy. Whether or not the child is obviously a different skin colour, i don’t think it matters what cultures it is brought upto. The child will always grow into an adult and make his/her own decisions on what they want to be without having it thrust down their neck from an early age. Saying that, We have in the UK many different cultures and religions, which are taught daily to children of all ages at school. Our children are taught about special festivals, songs, prayers and languages, which i believe can only be beneficial in adult life.
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Name : CLare31965, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : religiously drifting, Age : 30, City : London, England, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Social class : Lower middle class,
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