On one hand, it is a very positive gesture. These children deserve the great opportunities that can be afforded to them, through this new found wealth. But something doesn't sit right with me…from a historical perspective. We were already stolen from Africa, where our family unit was destroyed by the American Slavery system (and it is still disparaging), and now, white people are adopting children from that land. Like I said…nice gesture…but it doesn't sit well with me, most of the time. Angelina Jolie gets a pass though. She's had her rainbow coalition goin' on for a minute.

Black people aren't adopting these children. And, if given a choice, I'm sure the child would choose to go with a white adoptive parent versus starving. At this point no one in America is doing anything about the atrocities that continue in Africa so I personally can't complain when a non-black adopts an African child even though I so wish we as people of the diaspora would step up to the fucking plate instead of always needing white people to help us out. I mean, there are few situations in life where the cause of a problem is also the solution, right?. We, as black ppl, need to adopt the whole damn continent as a cause, but we have not. We don't even go to Africa to help the Africans or to just visit the place, but we somehow manage to travel all around the world (I am guilty of this, too), but you know who goes to Africa? White people. We can't be surprised at stories of adoptions when we don't seem to take a REAL interest in the continent beyond soapboxing? How come black celebrities don't adopt African children?

Awww…hell…who am I fooling? I'm just a Mary-Louise Parker stan. Hahahaha! Kidding. Well..kinda.

Fried Green Tomatoes was a great movie. When her daughter is older, she can watch the movie with her!

As an African woman who has seen starving kiddies in the more developed parts of Africa (not just those messy Christian Children's Fund areas), it's positive. These kids get the opportunity that EVERY child deserves.

And bmd is absolutely right. No one is adopting these kids. Africans do not adopt otherpeople's kids unless the parents are blood relatives. As I said a few weeks ago on another post, the only people who adopt African kids are rich white people. I'd like to think it's because they are more aware and open-minded than the rest of the populace. I think there's never been a better time because people readily acknowledge race versus the color-blind thing in the 70s which left many kids adopted from Asia with identity issues.

You all bring up very valid points. Which is why earlier, I stated that it is a nice gesture and that, these children need these better opportunities. However, in the back of my mind, I just see this as white people saying "see we've changed" or "look at how much good I can do for Black people." I just don't want it to come to the point where adopting African children some how makes up for long standing (and on-going) attrocities. I don't like to see my people being used as just another photo op or career booster. It's like the new Holood trend. Angelina did it legit…but now she has a ton of groupies just hopping on the banwagon, for exposures sake. Sure they are rich and can send these childrenn to good schools, but what they are doing, isn't helping. It's no more help than the devil giving you a piece of pie.

I'd rather see the solution be an introspective for our people, where we evaluate the need to edify and organize ourselves. I have heard people make the argument about the need for Black Americans (and even Africans) to start adopting these children, but it is far more complex than that statement implies. Granted, we should see Black Hollywood step up to plate. No doubt. But when you have a people (referring to us "African Americans") that have high statistics of single parent homes, absentee fathers and low incomes, it really doesn't help much. That may be placing a child in an equally harmful environment. Also, adoptions are very expensive. Most Blacks work low income jobs.

We can sing the praises of the need to step up and "oh well at least white people are doing something", but that praise needs to come with the reality. We need to come up as a people, before we can start trying to rescue everybody else. These kids will grow up in a very white world. They will have identity issues. Sure, people are racially concious these days, but that doesn't mean they will have the adequate concern or experince, to properly aid a child of a different ethnic background, with understanding who they are. No white parent alive, can tell a Black child, what it is like to be called a nigger. I don't see in my mind, Angelina Jolie reading her children poems from Panther & The Lash or informing her children about our legacy.

These children deserve a financial and social chance to prosper, but they are also deserving of more than a text book education one month out of the year, about who they are. Just look at how messed up Keke Wyatt is. And that was her birth mother. Please do not take this to be racism or intolerance on my part. I merely have a very anguished perspective, from personal experince. I am friends with a white couple, who raise their half Black neice (she is also one quarter white and one quarter mexican). They constantly use relaxer on her hair, because it is too diffcult (also see they can't be bothered to lern) for them to manage, in its natural state. They rasie her as if she were white, because they are a white house hold. I have seen them emphasize her beauty as a young Black child, and show her that her skin makes her no different (a very naive but lovely sentiment). I have also had the misfortune of hearing this child tell me things like "when i'm older, my skin won't be brown anymore. It will be white like my tia's." When ever she gets new dolls…they are always white dolls (I tell no lie). She adores whiteness and shuns her Blackness. Perhaps you have to bear witness to that sort of misery, to understand my general air of resentment. Sorry for the novel…but I just had to get that out. Stay up, my peoples.

Spendi - You made some good points. Specifically black Americans are, in general, not in a financial situation to take on the burden of adoption at this time. We continue to struggle to come out of the 400 year hole that we are in.

I also agree that however well meaning a white adoptive parent is they will never be able to impart any black "experience" on their child. That puts that child behind the 8 ball immediately as far as identifying with his or her culture.

With white birth parents, I've seen it go either way. I've seen some just be totally out of touch and not know what to do with their half black children, but I have known some who are the opposite. I've known some (incl. those in my fam) who are as down as a white person is going to come and keep their child close to their black family and heritage. I think that's all you can do in that case, but I digress.

With faced with death, and I believe that many of the African children are facing either imminent death or will have a very short life - I think we have to see their adoption as more than a "nice gesture." We have to see it as someone saving their life. Yes, it's all the rage. Yes, we would prefer to be handling it ourselves. Yes, we wish these children were not even up for adoption. But, I don't want them dying. I can understand your emotions and how you might feel as though here come the white folks taking something else from us - and yea, there might be something to that, but when babies get raped and all the other nightmares that happen there I have to focus on one child being saved at a time. It sounds silly, but I, like the rest of us, can't do any better for these children or anyone else there suffering. I pray that one day I will be able to.

I just don't think anyone adopts for political reasons. I sure as hell wouldn't. The ONLY person I think might adopt for insincere reasons is Madonna and that's because everything she does seems insincere and trend-setting, especially religion.

Are there particular people who probably use it as some sign that race relations are great? Certainly. I don't think those are the people adopting kids though. Regardless of how it's portrayed, the adoption process is so lengthy and stressful that you might as well have one yourself if you can. It's probably cheaper and less stressful.

"With faced with death, and I believe that many of the African children are facing either imminent death or will have a very short life - I think we have to see their adoption as more than a “nice gesture.” We have to see it as someone saving their life. Yes, it’s all the rage. Yes, we would prefer to be handling it ourselves. Yes, we wish these children were not even up for adoption. But, I don’t want them dying. "

I can humbly concede to that point, BMD.

I don't see a problem with white people adopting black children. Everyone is complaining about identity and whatnot but things are changing now and people are allowed to adopt any race. Stop complaining and adopt a black child if it bothers you so much and stop being racist.