Adoption Support at Forever Parents

Transracial Adoption

Striking a deadly blow to racism
by James S. Goff

Racism is defined as ‘‘the belief in the superiority of one race over another and antagonism based on this belief.” However, racism is more complicated, divisive and pervasive than this simple definition provides. It is like a dark shadow that travels among humans, robbing them of their self worth and identity every chance it gets. It sees the weakness and shallowness in people and sets forth to justify its existence. It is always standing in the shadows, waiting, waiting, waiting. There is no location that it cannot travel. It is a mist of darkness, ready to spread itself into any situation, event or occurrence.There is one type of racism that I have experienced recently. It is not one that is readily discussed, but it has negatively affected me.My parents are adopting a Chinese baby. I have seen her picture and she is beautiful. She has serious eyes and a heart-shaped face. She is my sister. I do not mean the phrase ‘‘adopted sister.” The triviality of this expression is apparent. She is my sister.

Not everyone was thrilled with the idea that a Caucasian family was adopting a Chinese girl. One neighbor responded with the news of a family addition with ‘‘take a lot of family pictures now because they will never look the same.” One person that I knew asked me, ‘‘Do you think that you will ever think of her as your real sister?”

To be fair, many people were thrilled with our family decision. However, the negative responses are cancerous; they begin to slowly rob your strength and patience. How can a 10-year-old boy tell people that their heart decides who is family, not genetics? How can the external appearance of an Asian little girl blind others to what is felt and believed? My only response to what others see is to be the best brother possible. I will always protect her and be sensitive to what she experiences.

William Shakespeare said, ‘‘It is a wise father that knows his own child.” I believe that it is a wise brother who knows his own sister. My future will always have someone with whom I can share my life. Racism prevents people from seeing the gifts that are offered in expanding one’s life with others. It fools people into believing that one belongs with others who look like them, think like them and act like them. It rejoices when it finds people alone and without friendships or family.

I realize that some people may always negate the brother-sister bond that I have with her. I am not blind to a future that will always have racism lurking behind corners. However, my future will also be shared with a sister. She may not look like me, but she will be with me. That is a deadly strike to racism.

About The Writer:
James is a fifth-grader at Clearspring Elementary School’s Center for the Gifted and Talented in Damascus. His essay was one of 25 selected as winners in the first ‘‘Dear Ruby Bridges” national letter-writing contest sponsored by Scholastic Inc. Bridges selected the letters, 47 years after she became a heroine of racial integration by walking through a screaming mob into a white New Orleans school when she was 6 years old. The contest drew letters from almost 15,000 students in grades four through six. ‘‘These students deserve our recognition as shining examples of children in America who have dealt with adversity,” said Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic Inc., the children’s publishing, education and media company.

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