White Hollywood/Black Babies by Rambling Raven

Has anyone seen the latest pictures of Sandra Bullock and her new baby Louis? People magazine did a beautiful lay out of the two for its May issue. The baby boy is beautiful. And he is from New Orleans.

Many high profile adoptions have been in the media recently. Angelina and Brad, Madonna and now Sandra Bullock. I am interested in the stories because the babies that are being adopted are Black (in most cases from Africa). I am use to seeing White families adopt White or Asian children. I am intrigued as to why there appears to be an increase and a fascination in Black children being adopted by the rich and famous. Is it the media hype or our obsession over anything Black and White that makes them stand out?

I have heard from many co-workers, friends and family regarding the pros and cons of White people adopting Black babies. Personally, I don’t “worry” about the children who the rich and famous adopt. I assume that these parents are able to give the children the tools they need to succeed. If they are smart they will hire people to help them understand the cultural challenges and what is needed to help the child grow into happy, mentally healthy human beings.

In looking at American adoption trends I found that there are three major countries that Americans turn to for adoption. Americans go to China, Ethiopia and Russia to adopt. I was shocked to see Ethiopia on the list. The adoption numbers from there are in the thousands. So it appears that not only the rich and famous are turning to Africa for children but also the average American family.

What does it all mean? Is it that these children are “exotic” therefore looked upon as OK to adopt? Is it that Africa makes it easier to adopt its children than other countries? Perhaps it may indicate that Americans are not as caught up on culture and race as I perceive them to be, therefore adopting Black children isn’t an issue for many.

The fact that Sandra Bullock chose to adopt an African American baby is especially interesting to me. She did not go the “Hollywood” route by running to a foreign country, donating money to that country and suddenly obtain a baby in a matter of days. Bullock decided to go through with an American adoption. She waited four years to get a baby, and she was paired with little Louis. Will this become a trend? Will more from the Hollywood sect seek to adopt African American children? How will/do we feel about that?

I must admit that every time I see these people with our children, I automatically think–where are the rich and famous Black people? Why are the rich and famous Black folk not adopting our children? The need for adoption is great, far too many of our children are being raised in the ‘system”.

Adoption is something that I have been thinking about doing personally. Each birthday reminds me that time is ticking away. I know that if I want to have children I need to do it within the next five years or so. Yet, I do know that not all the planets line-up the way you hope them to and not everyone is blessed to have biological children. Certainly there is nothing indicating that I can’t look to adoption for a family.  I certainly think that our children are worth raising and providing a healthy, loving environment to grow in. So my heart is opened to the possibility. There are many many African American families who are doing so and doing so beautifully, they just aren’t celebrated on the cover of national magazines.

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