Topic > Race and Kinship: Issues with Family and Identity in Transracial Adoption

Traditionally, kinship has been associated with racial congruence, meaning that all members of a family are of the same race. It's the idea that all offspring should resemble their parents, that biological dimension we talked about earlier. This can create something of an identity crisis in children of biracial couples as racial congruence creates a clear separation between being black and being white. Miscegenation is the phenomenon in which the marriage (or cohabitation) of people outside one's own race is prohibited. In some countries, there are regulations outlining the use of racially congruent eggs or sperm when using new reproductive techniques. One of the most polarizing topics in racial parenting is transnational adoption, or adopting a child outside of one's race. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The best-known organization of advocates for racially congruent adoption for children of African American descent is the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW). Their response to black and black/white biracial adoptees placed with white families is generally credited with starting the public debate about the best interests of black and black/white biracial children and the risks associated with transracial adoption in the development of a racial and ethnic identity. (Miranda 2002). NABSW initially viewed transracial adoption as cultural genocide, both for individual adoptees and for the black community. More recently, however, some have begun to view transracial adoption as a last resort after same-race placements proved impossible. The group highlights respect for African American cultural heritage in children as its top priority, an issue that many adopted and foster care individuals can attest to. There appear to be three overarching themes common to biracial adoptees: navigating the politics of their adoptive family membership and biraciality, seeking kinship and community, and naming and claiming identity. In an interview, a mother of a biracial child says she's "a little nervous about what we'll do when she starts to understand why someone approached us at Target and thanked us for saving the kids, or when a woman , you know, walks down the grocery store aisle and says, “What did he mix with?” In her testimony, Sonia Billadeau (2014) wrote, “I grew up with the story that social workers considered me 'too light.' to be adopted by one black family, and “too dark” for a white family. Which made me feel like I didn’t belong anywhere except in a liberal, color-blind family that “surpassed” racial designations , children who are part of transracial adoption often find themselves bereft of identity, not feeling part of a particular kinship structure This is where kinship anthropology and activist anthropology meet: how we can use our knowledge on modern kinship structures to improve the quality of life of biracial adoptees? This is yet another reason why kinship in anthropology has become important; there is enormous potential for the study of kinship to ameliorate aspects of racism and inequality in America. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Conclusion How new problems within the “structures.