Use these tips for building cultural diversity for children in your family, community, and school.
5 Ways to Talk with Your Child About Racism
Talking about racism makes most of us uncomfortable. Still, parents of transracially adopted children should resist the urge not to talk. Here’s how.
Teens Speak Out About Open Adoption
Three adolescents share their experiences with open adoption, and how they feel about their relationships with their birth family.
Saying No to Racism
You can offer your children support—and the tools they need to fight back.
Empowering Children and Teens of Color Who Face Racism
White parents do not have the experience of feeling vulnerable or targeted based on race, so telling a transracially adopted child “I know how you feel” isn’t right—but silence is also not the answer. Adoptees and experts discuss how parents should speak out and take action.
Why Race Matters for Teens
Teens need their parents’ guidance in forming their racial identity.
“Mommy, Were You Adopted?”
I’m not sure why I never told my children. But when they asked, I knew it was time to end the secrecy for good.
Becoming My Own Beauty Role Model
“Growing up, makeup felt like a mask—a cover-up for my true inner self.”
Ask AF: Encouraging a Cohesive Racial and Cultural Identity
“We have always tried to make sure our internationally adopted son feels proud of his heritage. This year, when the class was writing about Thanksgiving, he asked if he could skip the assignment because people from his birth country do not celebrate Thanksgiving. I know I need to talk to him, but I’m not sure where to start.”
Preparing Our Children to Talk About Race
When you form a transracial family, you must build in a system to combat racism.
Raising a Racially Ambiguous Child
We asked our reader panel: Have you ever been asked to explain your child’s ethnic identity? How do you respond?
“Our Passage to India”
Traveling to our daughters’ birth country allowed us to bond, both with their ethnic heritage and our fellow travelers.
Motherhood? Me? You’ve Got to Be Kidding!
Having children was something that other people did. But giving birth has given me a sense of connection I never felt before.
Race Matters at Pact Camp
A summer heritage camp that’s all about helping transracial families.
“Can Black Children Wear Watermelons?”
Many symbols commonly found on children’s clothing connote racist stereotypes of black people. Knowing this, should transracial adoptive parents still dress their black children in onesies and shirts featuring monkeys, zebras, and watermelons?
“Our Summer Vacation House Swap”
One summer, we traded our Hawaiian home for Berkeley, CA so our son could learn about more ethnic differences and similarities.
“5 Things I Wish My White Parents Knew”
Transracial adoptees often grow up knowing that their families love them, but not truly feeling included or close to them. Here’s what would have helped in raising a black child in a white family and a racist world.
[Book Excerpt]: Lucky Girl
In this excerpt from her memoir, Lucky Girl, Meiling Hopgood describes her initial rejection of “looking Asian” growing up in mostly-White rural Michigan, and how she learned to embrace her Chinese heritage.
Dolls and Toys for Our Families
We asked readers, “Have you found any dolls or other toys that reflect your child’s race and/or birth culture that you would specifically recommend?” Here are the top picks.
“Did You Want to Keep Me?”
Faced with a young daughter’s despair, a mother realizes her child must reconnect with the past.