Positive Steps to Confront Stereotypes

In recent blogs I talked about anti-immigrant feeling in America today and whether it will have an unintended impact on our adopted children. I was thinking primarily of our Asian and Latino children, but a third-grader from Ethiopia was recently taunted in my neighborhood and told to go back to her country. In some parts of the U.S. the immigrant African population may be larger than the African-American population, so possibly more and more people will assume that African-heritage children are immigrants as well. And some of them are—Haiti and Liberia have been native countries of significant numbers of adopted … Continue reading

Celebrities, The Environment, and Human Rights

Celebrities and their pet charities are a popular topic in this blog. Libby and I have written about stars lending a hand to the homeless, the innocent, and the sick. But, this week the spotlight focused on a growing concern among politicians, actors, and musicians—the environment. Actress Cameron Diaz, hip-hop producer Pharrell, and former vice president Al Gore joined forces to announce an international campaign to promote global warming awareness. The monster event to be held this summer is called Save Our Selves – The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis. It features a 24-hour “Live Earth” concert, which will … Continue reading

Preparing to Parent Kids of a Different Race

For those of you who don’t know, my husband and I are about to bring home two children from two different continents. Our son is from Central America. He has medium brown skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Our daughter is from Africa. Her skin is a deeper brown and her eyes and hair are also dark. My husband, Scott, and I, on the other hand, are distinctly Caucasian. We both have light brown hair, light eyes and pale skin. Obviously, we aren’t exactly going to match our children when they come home. To Scott and I race doesn’t matter … Continue reading