Transracial adoption has always been controversial. Whether or not you agree with the practice of transracial adoption, it is important that child welfare and adoption practitioners and foster and adoptive parents understand that transracially adopted children and youth will have additional identity development needs and concerns than same-race adoptees.
Just as every adopted person feels differently about their experiences, the views of those adopted transracially differ as well.
The follow are a few videos of transracial adoptees sharing their experiences.
Struggle for Identity – this film is one of the oldest that includes transracial adoptee voices. The film shows a variety of perspectives from transracial adoptees, although viewers often react most strongly to the two more vocal adoptees featured in this clip, Michelle and John. Understanding that these adoptees are expressing their experiences is important so that adoptive parents can think ahead of time about how they will address these issues for their own children.
From the film Adopted comes these adult transracial adoptees and professionals discussing identity issues.
Rhonda Roorda, co-author with Rita Simon of the book In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories, discusses transracial adoption in this news story
Aaron Stigger, with his mom Judy, discuss transcial adoption
