“We Didn’t Even Think about Adopting Domestically”

Abstract

As transnational adoption grows, many American children await adoption in the United States. Because many of these children are children of color (and often black), we ask: What role does race play in parents’ decisions to adopt abroad rather than adopt domestically? In-depth interviews with 41 parents reveal that parents adopt abroad for many reasons. Regarding racial motivations, although some parents were open to children of any race and several actively sought nonwhite children, many had limits—they did not want to adopt African American children. We look at how parents articulate the role of race in their decisions, and the implications for domestic adoption and broader race relations in the United States.