Rick Badie / My Opinion

By James McCoy

July 8, 2006 07:57 PM | Link to this

Let me be the first to say Mr.Badie you have stepped on a snake! Watch the response when they come out of the grass to protect there “God” given right to adopt only children that look like them. Never mind that many Black children languish in foster homes for years and never experience the love of a family.

By Elizabeth

July 8, 2006 08:27 PM | Link to this

Congratulations Mr. Badie to you and your family! My husband and I plan on adopting. Race absolutely does not matter to us.

By Brad

July 8, 2006 08:59 PM | Link to this

Working at a childrens hospital, I see many infants, white and black, that have been neglected and abused. Its a shame that anyone that loves a child enough to go through the adoption process gets grief from any agency. One day we will figure out that love does not have a color.

By MA

July 9, 2006 06:18 AM | Link to this

Private agencies get paid to place children so that is what they try to do. DFCS gets paid to take care of children, so it is to their financial interest to keep them languishing in foster care indefinitely. As a single adoptive parent, I waited for 4 years on the Georgia DFCS list before going through a private agency and getting two beautiful girls from Costa Rica. I would gladly have taken a child or siblings,(of any race) age six or under, but was never even able to complete a homestudy because the caseworkers kept quitting. Each time I was assigned a new caseworker everything started all over again!

By Rai White

July 9, 2006 08:45 AM | Link to this

I am a biracial child that was adopted at birth by my black parents. I didn’t know early on that I was biracial, but I knew I looked different and I had different hair. As I got older, I know that I was “mixed” with something :<) It wasn’t until I got in my teens that my Mom told me. I am a big advocate of adoption and I have always felt that the race shouldn’t matter, just give a child a home where they can be loved and nurtured. Please, Please, Please if you adopt a black child and you are not of that decent, please ensure that that child grows up knowing thier history and who they are, that is very important. White children learn their history and their roots in school, on TV….everywhere they go, we on the other hand are at a disadvantage. Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion. Rai

By Deborah Lee

July 9, 2006 09:33 AM | Link to this

Before I adopted a child I had ALWAYS heard that the wait for a child through the state UNLESS YOU KNEW SOMEONE was ten years. I suggest that, like I did, that the couple who wants a baby get a second job for a couple of years and go through a private adoption agency. Yes, it is expensive and 19 years ago we paid $25,000 dollars but I had friends buying cars for the same amount. I now live in Bulloch County and on many of the street corners there are signs begging people to foster or adopt. The couple may not get an infant but knowing what I know now they will love any child that comes into their life. Adoption takes a lot of work.

By Michael H. Smith

July 9, 2006 09:55 AM | Link to this

Rick, you’re shameless. All sane people know how ridiculous is the continuance of this RACE game defined as anything other than HUMAN remains. I’m more interested in that other four letter word. Bet nikki is too.

C’mon Rick, you know you’re busting out with pride, trying to play humble in holding out on us.

Give it up.

Show us some LOVE!

Let us all see, Olivia Melodie Badie.

So where are the baby pictures?

By Dave

July 9, 2006 12:38 PM | Link to this

White’s travel thousands of miles to China, Thailand, Cambodia etc. to adopt a child not of their race. No one give it a second thought today. So what’s the big deal about adopting a black child if your white. Answer. None. It’s all hype caused by the perception of those doing the adopting. No one gives a hoot who adopts who, and race is not a factor, so we should not make it one. I for one will not stir the “racial cooking pot and leave that task to the racist of all colors on this fragile planet.

By Michael H. Smith

July 9, 2006 02:32 PM | Link to this

Rick this story just ain’t gonna make it without pictures. C’mon. Pretty please, with a gouchie gouchie goo on top?

By penguinmom

July 9, 2006 05:12 PM | Link to this

I have friends who are white and are foster parents. They have had problems at times with DFACS worrying when they are fostering children of a different race. A DFACS attorney expressed concern that they wanted to adopt one little black girl who had a huge number of medical problems due to abuse. Even though they had taken the child from having to be fed with a tube to being able to eat mashed up food; even though the child was obviously happy and well-cared for in their home, somehow the fact that they were white made the black DFACS attorney think they were not the right people to continue to care for this child. Being able to pass on a culture is important but it should pale in comparison to the amount of care and love they have showered this child for over 2 years. Fortunately, reason seems to have won out in this case but it is scary that a lawyer in family court would look at race before other circumstances.

By Martha O

July 9, 2006 11:28 PM | Link to this

Keep writing, PLEASE about this issue. We are a white couple who was turned away from the ‘system’ in the USA years ago because we were open to a child of color. We wanted an older child of any color and were told that we were last on the list (if we wanted to aodpt..fostering was okay, adoption was not). We decided to go international and had our first child within months. FIVE children later (all international) we still grieve that we would be treated the same way today if we tried to adopt a black child through the US Foster system. But we can go to Ethiopia in 6 months and get a sibling group of kids…what’s wrong with with this picture?

I now run a website promoting adoption of kids of any color (yes, caucasian also). I also believe strongly that all families that adopt children of color must also adopt their birth culture. My kids care about the music, history, hair styles, etc. of their culture. I am right there with them, enjoying the ride.

Martha Osborne RainbowKids.com international adoption magazine http://www.rainbowkids.com

By kathy

July 10, 2006 10:27 AM | Link to this

Thank you for bringing this issue into discussion. After four biological children, we adopted our fifth child, a daughter. We are white, she is African-American. She will be turning 7 in the fall, we’ve had her since birth. When we decided to adopt, we told our agency that race wasn’t an issue for us. They were happy to make us available for all birth parents to consider, and our daughter’s birth mother chose us. Many people say we have done a great thing giving this child a home and family- actually, she has done more for our family than we could ever do for her! While many white families are moving from our area because of the ever increasing diversity, we will be staying here, and I know our children, all 5 of them are better for it- they have had to learn about racial diversity, acceptance and about African American culture- something I think all children, and adults, no matter what background, for that matter should learn! We have had a tremendously positive experience, of course we get the occasional stare or rude comment, but we have learned to ignore, educate or just laugh at the ignorance of some people. Transracial adoption isn’t for everyone- it isn’t easy, but I have learned more in the last 7 years, about my daughter’s culture, than I learned in a lifetime of school. And our family has become an even stronger one, and has developed an even greater sense of acceptance for all people, no matter what their differences.

By S.W.A.T.S

July 10, 2006 12:01 PM | Link to this

What about gay or lesbians that want to adopt regardless of the race? Unable to get a child because of their lifestyle.

By Amy

July 10, 2006 12:04 PM | Link to this

We had friends who went through a private agency and it took three years to find a birth mother who would pick them (Caucasian) for a biracial baby. I suffered for them as they waited so patiently - it angered me that they had so much to offer and weren’t considered as good candidates by the birth mothers because of their race. They finally were chosen and have a beautiful baby girl, but still I forsee problems ahead for them because of the racist attitudes they will encounter. It is very very sad.

By WITH A TWIST

July 10, 2006 12:09 PM | Link to this

It is so wonderful that everyone feels that putting children in happy homes is the most important issue. Anyone willing to go thru what adoptive parents have to endure should be blessed with a child. People having to travel all over the world should not be something they have to do because adoption is so difficult in our country. In today’s society, it would not be hard for a couple of one race to teach a child of a different race about their heritage. Usually people this open-minded will have friends of different races that would gladly help the couple. Remember, it takes a village.

I just wonder if the readers would feel the same way if instead of different race parents, the same support would be shown for same sex couples trying to adopt those same children and provide them with loving homes. Just a thought.

By Regina

July 10, 2006 12:19 PM | Link to this

I think it is important for a child to have a family and skin color shouldn’t be a factor. Family knows no color. Family is in the heart.

By Moral Voice

July 10, 2006 12:24 PM | Link to this

why open up children to live a lifestyle that you chose, a child should be brought up in a home with loving parents who can instill values in them according the natural way of living and loving. THAT lifestyle is unnatural and I really wish people in Atlanta would stand up and stop having this lifestyle shoved down our throats likes it is acceptable.

By S.W.A.T.S

July 10, 2006 12:36 PM | Link to this

MORAL VOICE, who said your way of living is right ! What about the ” normal” parents that are not taking care of the child black or white

By N V Me

July 10, 2006 01:17 PM | Link to this

Wow. It’s about time this blog came about. I have a 5 year old adopted black child. He is my pride & joy. I get the funny looks as I am white. I’ve come to accept that I will get those funny looks from black & white and there is nothing I can do about it. I was able to have a bilogical child 3 years later. My son is starting to notice that his skin is not the same as mine or his little sisters. He does as me why and I tell him “That’s how God made you”. His question is answered and he continues to play. He then tells me that he’s sweet cause his skin is the color of chocolate. I must admit, I have to agree. I wouldn’t change him for all the money in the world as I’m raising a child not a color.

I truly wish more Atlantans would open their hearts and home to see that children of all color and backgrounds need love and support of a family.

By Moral Voice

July 10, 2006 01:28 PM | Link to this

Adopted/Foster Children already have a minor stuggle at the beginning of their lives whether they are newborns or older, why further complicate their precious lives by adding a gay lifestyle into their lives, forcing yourselves to answer questions with answers that conflict with the rest of the world and they way relationships are formed. I don’t doubt that gay people have love to give;clearly it’s plastered all over the television, radio and you see it in lenox square mall. Children deserve a better chance in this world, that was YOUR choice to be gay. I don’t think it’s right to bring that lifestyle into a childs’ life. I think parents of any color should be able to adopt any race and give the child/ren a stable loving natural environment. And by the way the BIBLE shows what my way of living consist of: Adam & Eve; Mary & Joseph; Abraham and Sara; etc I didn’t say your lifestyle was wrong, just unnatural!

By S.W.A.T.S

July 10, 2006 01:45 PM | Link to this

MORAL VOICE U are Unnatural!!!

By Moral Voice

July 10, 2006 02:15 PM | Link to this

And we move on…

By Robin

July 10, 2006 02:22 PM | Link to this

neither race nor sexual preference should matter when it comes to adopting a child.

The only things that matter are providing the child with a loving, supportive home.

What does color or sexual preference have to do with that?

NOTHING!

By tlk

July 10, 2006 02:52 PM | Link to this

Color has nothing to with it but sexual preference definately does. You bring a young boy up that sees two grown men kissing (sick) and what message does that send? DUH!

By S.W.A.T.S

July 10, 2006 03:24 PM | Link to this

I agree ROBIN

By SET

July 10, 2006 03:35 PM | Link to this

We have a huge number of children of bad parents who have either been removed or need to be removed, with nowhere to place them. These kids have a better chance of not being like their birth parents if they can be placed into a stable loving home.

Impediments to adoption need to go - If the child needs a new home the question is whether the proposed home is better than the alternative the child is stuck with.

And the decision should be in the hands of the local courts. They are the ones who have to deal with the juvenile criminals and mental patients, so they know what they don’t want to happen to the kid.

If we can’t find local homes for these kids we should not hesitate to ask for help in foreign countries. Give the kid a passport for the future and put them on a boat. Just find them a loving home now.

By Juli

July 10, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this

It’s sad to me that so many people think it’s better for a child to be bounced from one foster home to another to another, when a loving family (albeit homosexual) would so love to raise a child.

Regardless of the sexual orientation of the parents, if they can provide a loving home, it’s crazy not to allow them to do so. And if the child sees his “mommies” or “daddies” kissing, it will show him that love exists in many different ways, and it should make him feel secure in a family that isn’t afraid to show him love.

By Fred Zeppelin

July 10, 2006 05:37 PM | Link to this

I’m all in favor of Caucasions adopting as many Black children as possible. Those children will benefit and be afforded opportunities they otherwise would never been exposed to.

By Swangirl

July 10, 2006 05:42 PM | Link to this

Unfortunately, the story Rick shares is a true one and has been going on for a while. I saw a segment on 60 Minutes (I think) a few years ago about this topic.

There were various African-American social workers and therapists vowing to fight tooth and nail to keep black children from being adopted into white homes. Why? In their view, there was no way a white couple could provide a black child with the “proper” exposure to African-American culture/heritage.

What claptrap! Would they rather a child languish in foster care, bouncing from place to place, victims of a broken system, than have a loving, stable home?

I guess they thought it was more important for a child know the history of Liberia than to get a balanced meal, and get tucked in at night by a dedicated Mom or Dad. Go figure.

By Cornholio

July 10, 2006 06:02 PM | Link to this

Black kids adopted by whitey won’t know about their African culture such as hip hop, drive by shootings, gang initiations, ebonics, BET, Jesse Jackson, 400 years of slavery and oppression, voting Democrat, affirmative action ,teenage pregnancy, and all sorts of excuses to hold one back from being successful and a fulltime participant in the greatest country on earth.

By bud

July 10, 2006 06:32 PM | Link to this

The supply of adoptable white babies is low relative to demand, while the supply of adoptable black babies is high relative to demand. I suppose its good to shame some white folks into adopting black babies to reduce the time needed to get these babies secured into good homes.

The more uncomfortable question to ask is…where are the black COUPLES? I gaze across the fruited plain and I don’t see many married black couples…just single black women and their mothers raising kids on their own and the men come and go in and out of their lives…babydaddies on rotation, in and out of jobs, in and out of jail, in and out of drugs.

Illegitimacy is the fountainhead of what ails our black urban culture. If this trend could be reversed (or even if the rate at which illegitimate children are born slows down somewhat) much would improve in the lives of all of us.

By Cornholio

July 10, 2006 06:36 PM | Link to this

Blame Whitey for the Black Urban Culture !

By SET

July 10, 2006 06:59 PM | Link to this

I thought about the sex orientation thing and looked at the other posts. I still believe the local Probate Courts are supposed to get these abandoned and neglected kids placed - and they have a duty to do whatever they can to take care of the kids. Maybe it’s “better” the kid goes to a nuclear family. Since we have to pay people to temporarily take in kids like stray dogs in a private pound, the courts should get the kids placed as best they can to adoptions and I leave the details to the Judge.

Just get the kids adopted to homes better than the ones they have now. There was a time New York City put it’s unwanted kids on a train and gave them away at train stations across the plains. Good for them. Do whatever it takes.

As far as the black social workers - fire them if they create any problems. Oh excuse me, the way we do that is to abolish their positions. Let the cops and the probation officers handle all the unwanted kids.

By Randall

July 10, 2006 07:00 PM | Link to this

The highest percentage of abortions are from African-American females. You have alleged “reverends” like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton promoting the legalization of abortion. This is racial genocide ! Adolf Hitler could not have planned it any better !

By A. WILLIAMS

July 10, 2006 07:25 PM | Link to this

Race should not be a factor in adoption. I do believe that people who adopt outside of their race should be required to put them in activities that will expose them to their own culture.

By Elane

July 10, 2006 08:46 PM | Link to this

The whole issue of what an adopted child “looks like” just makes me ill. I once had a co-worker who was single, a failure at relationships, but wanted to adopt. She told us “Now, a black baby is out, because people will look at me and think I had $ ex with a black man. What I really want is a Chinese baby — they’re so cute, they look like the little Chinese dolls I used to play with when I was little.” Last I heard she’d abandoned the idea of getting a kid and now has two Pomeranians. There is some justice in the world (maybe not for the dogs, however…). I think the adoption process should be a double-blind. The adoptive parents don’t know the race of the child they’re adopting until the papers are signed, and the agencies don’t know the background of the parents. It will never happen, but it really would be the right way.

By Bruce Wilcox

July 10, 2006 08:46 PM | Link to this

“Color has nothing to with it but sexual preference definately does.”? How can that be, if a white family adopts a black child, the child will never become white, same with black family adopting a white child. But in the narrow minded view of some if a child is adopted by a gay couple the child will beome gay?

Being adopted by a caring, loving couple is the most important factor, I could less if they were smurfs.

Forcing your moral codes on anyone else is just plain unamerican.

By time for the truth

July 11, 2006 12:11 AM | Link to this

This racial bollocks is pretty pathetic. But perfectly normal in Atlanta. Blacks again (and not just on this issue) seem way more hung up on race than whites. I dont see the great importance of “black culture” and imposing it on kids who need a home any more than I see the importance of “white culture” and imposing it on kids. Unless of course blacks will simply admit that they dont want black kids brought up by whites even though the stats show that ‘unwanted’ black kids vastly outnumber ‘unwanted’ white kids, despite the huge obvious numerical disparity in the black/white population.

Who decides what is black culture, what is black music, black food/clothing and the rest - same for whites - who decides all that? A leftist, politically correct white or black social worker? Some black activist who dislikes (or worse) whites?

And how much black culture is acceptable or appropriate, who decides that? Clearly there’s no definitive yardstick that every black kid must/will be exposed to.

I guess that’s why so few blacks like say Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd or other major more contemporary white rock n roll acts, yet countless whites like a wide range of black music and have helped make many soul/reggae/rap etc stars extremely wealthy… the cultural tolerance/acceptance is still clearly very one sided in some areas.

Racial regimentation is not necessarily a good thing, but again, who decides that, and who applies the yardstick that changes it?

Myabe the white adoptive parents can drop the black kid off at a black church for a few hours of religious brainwashing when its old enough … (white churches brainwash in the same way too).

By Lynn

July 11, 2006 02:59 AM | Link to this

We ran into this many times while going through the adoption process. We adopted 2 children…one full hispanic and the other we have no idea what her ethnic mix is but they are both beautiful children and loved as if they were our own biological children…we do have one biological child. The only comments we have come up against have been with the black community…I was out with my daughter and a older black gentleman turned to his daughter and made the following comment “Just what I thought…another white woman with a black baby!” My husband and I do get questioned occassionally if we are out with the children alone…”Is your husband/wife Hispanic?” We just take this opportunity to educate others who need to be on the world of adoption. Our children know they are adopted and proud of it. We were told by one agency that since we have a biological child that we could only adopt biracial children…reason: caucasion children were hard to come by and given to childless couples first. Needless to say we didn’t sign with them! What does color mean?…we just wanted to complete our family and race wasn’t an issue with us.

By With a twist

July 11, 2006 01:26 PM | Link to this

Good too see that most of us are intelligent enough to understand that the most important thing for children is a loving family. Regardless of color or sexual orientation.

To the few with a different opinion on homosexuality. It is NOT a choice. The little boy who was raped repeatedly and grows up to be gay did not choose that. He has become that and has to live with that. Don’t believe me? Ask any of the thousands of boys that were raped by their priests and their moral voices. How do we handle them?

By Another Voice

July 12, 2006 10:37 AM | Link to this

It appears, after reading the comments left by folk here, most of you believe that Black children should be adopted by “normal” White families (whatever that is)….if for nothing else,to breed the “blackness” away. Go figure Done!

By Nikole

July 12, 2006 11:55 AM | Link to this

I am considering adopting one day and as a black woman, I would definitely want a black child. The statistics are staggering and I think it is my responsibility to give a black child the opportunity to a better life. I think our race would be much better off if we made it our responsibility to take care of ourselves.

By N V Me

July 12, 2006 12:15 PM | Link to this

You want responsibility? When I adopted my son, three black couples didn’t want him! We were the 4th couple on the list but our paperwork said white or bi-racial. We scrambled, got the paperwork changed to include black and came home three days later with our 2 week old son. What did my son do that was so wrong that the black couples didn’t want him! It was upsetting to know that a child was turned down when we waited SO long to adopt a child. I know that if it weren’t for those couples, I wouldn’t have my son so I guess I have to say thank you for my precious gift. Yes, I’m white…am I normal?? What is that definition?

By Swangirl

July 14, 2006 04:01 PM | Link to this

“It appears, after reading the comments left by folk here, most of you believe that Black children should be adopted by “normal” White families (whatever that is)….if for nothing else,to breed the “blackness” away. Go figure Done!”

Did you read Rick’s column? Or the posts? Clearly not. It’s not a matter of black children “should” be adopted by white parents. The issue is that there should not be so many roadblocks on the path to a white couple adopting a black child.

If there were enough black couples available to adopt these parentless children, we wouldn’t even have to discuss it.

By Lisa

July 16, 2006 08:13 PM | Link to this

The truth of the matter is that black people don’t want white people to adopt “their people.” Believe it or not, there is SOME truth to what Cornholio posted earlier. I have black friends who were raised to HATE white people by their parents and grandparents. If a black child is raised in a white home, it will not recieve the constant bombardment of what happend to their past generations.