I’m working on a longer post that will clarify my thoughts and my position on the rising number of Haitian children in need after the disaster in Haiti. AFAAD is also planning to release a statement soon.
Overall, I have to say, what’s happening for me is that the rhetoric of United States is reflective of the rhetoric they spouted during “Operation Baby Lift” in the Vietnam War. Its troubling and frightening, and its the same old story about the colonialist paternalism that appears whenever the US thinks they understand what a country and black people need better than the country knows themselves.
I continue to ask. Why is removal the only answer? I want to issue a direct challenge to the ‘good intentioned’, monied, Christian, white folks who are lusting after the “new crop” of Haitian disaster orphans.
Can you please, sit an rethink, can you TRY to re-imagine the discourse of ‘orphan’, ‘savior’ and ‘adoption’? Can you think of alternatives that can address the immediate and dire needs of these children besides removing them from their country & culture. What about utilizing your adoption fee to rebuilding infrastructure of the country? or one town? or support existing organizations IN the country that support keeping families & communities together? Removal is not always the answer!
My colleague and adoptee activist, Outlandish – has written a post that reflects my deep feelings about the language of ownership that is already being thrown around, that is a language of potential adoptive parents who are only concerned with their desire to have a child, and not with the trauma of separation and loss.
“Whites Make Pact With God, Expedite Haitian Adoptions”
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Organizations I know and have checked out to donate to:
A Birth Project 
how do you feel about black and interracial american families adopting haitian orphans?
Mom of 2 Boys, I know you didn’t ask me, but I’m going to throw in my two cents here. First, it would be important to establish that the “Haitian orphans” truly ARE orphans, ie with NO LIVING RELATIVES in Haiti. In the chaos of this tragedy, these things will take a LOT of time to establish. Until then, I think it is best to support people (including children) with food, shelter, water, medical care.
Then, it will take a lot to establish that removal of children is preferable to having them remain in their own country. People are so quick to rush to the idea that living in the US is better than ANY other place in the world, and that community and culture, language and roots don’t matter.
So perhaps black/interracial families in the US adopting Haitian orphans could be a positive thing. But there’s no way that can be established this WEEK, or this MONTH even, and it not something that should happen hastily.
What Haitian people (of all ages) need is immediate relief, rescue, shelter and food, and not to be airlifted willy-nilly out of their country.
OK. That’s my 2 cents.
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There are certainly a good deal of details like that to take into consideration.