Member-only story
FAMILY
Is Adoption Always Oppressive, or Does it Help Black Children?
About transracial adoption and the needs of Black adoptees
After learning about Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy, a White couple who deceived Michael Oher, a talented Black teenager who played college football and then for the Baltimore Ravens, into believing they legally adopted him when they really had him sign conservatorship papers giving them control over his finances, discussions about adoption have re-entered the mainstream. Of course, a conservatorship, which gives someone legal authority over another adult's finances when they cannot manage for themselves, is much different than an adoption, providing a family to a child without one. While the Tuohys convinced Oher they would become his adoptive parents if he signed the paperwork, they sought to control him and profit off his athletic ability. Still, this case raises an important question of whether adoption is inherently oppressive or if the process can help some Black children.
Of course, adoption is never ideal. Most children would prefer to live with their biological parents or family members. Providing parents with the necessary resources would be preferable to removing children from their birth parents' homes. However, when this is not possible, adoption becomes a necessity. Black…
