Hello Meltingpot Readers,
Update: While this story doesn’t shed any new light on the facts of this horrific story, Dr. Stacy Patton explains very clearly in the Washington Post how racism could be partly to blame for the death of the Hart children. It’s not necessarily the racism of the white mothers, but the racism in the child welfare system that consistently fails Black children by not taking their pain and abuse seriously.
On Friday I posted about the tragic story of the Hart family, two white moms and their three Black children found dead at the bottom of cliff. On Friday the details of the story were still quite murky, but the Washington Post is now reporting that evidence indicates that the car carrying the family did not try to stop before plunging over the cliff. While investigators are not calling it murder or suicide, evidence is clearly pointing in that direction.
As promised, I will continue to monitor the investigation.
TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION ON TRIAL
In the meantime, people are still using this horrific incident to put transracial adoption on trial. I know every issue in America comes back to race and money, so why would this situation be any different, especially when the cast of characters and deadly results fits the evil white (wo)man out to destroy Black people trope so perfectly? I have read all kinds of conspiracy theories that suggest these two white women adopted six Black children with the sole intent of torturing and eventually killing them. And from there, people are suggesting that all white people who adopt Black children have violent or racist motives. It is truly the most egregious form of illogical reasoning I’ve ever witnessed.
If it is true that these women were torturing their children and eventually killed them, then please put them in the same category as the Turpin family of California or the parents of the so-called Wolfpack. This is not a racial issue, this is a homicidal, child-abusing maniac issue.
SAME FAMILY, DIFFERENT COLORS
Of course, there is something about transracial adoption that makes everybody have an opinion. Somehow the idea that families can be formed across racial, ethnic or color lines sets people’s teeth on edge, even in the 21st century. I wrote a post on The Meltingpot in 2009 about Black people adopting white children and it continues to be my most visited post. If you want to get a taste of what people think about transracial adoption, the good, the bad and the ugly, just read through the 40 comments on that post.
After writing my book, Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America’s Diverse Families
In the meantime, let’s continue to see what really happened to the Hart family. Three children are still missing and a motive still hasn’t been discovered for the deaths. More importantly, let’s be a voice of a reason in any subsequent discussions about transracial adoptions. I’m not suggesting there aren’t serious issues to consider, but let’s not act like these issues are as simple as black and white. Will you speak up? Do you have a story to share?
Peace!
Comments
6 responses to “Transracial Adoption on Trial”
Thank you for breaking it down, Wendy. Your personal experience definitely is helpful.
And while I wouldn’t begin to assume I know what was happening in this particular family, they hardly seem to be the ones to use as textbook examples of anything…except disfunction.
I don’t think the issue in this case is transracial adoption, per se. The issue is the System’s blind trust of white people.
I agree that the criminality of it probably has nothing whatsoever to do with race. However, I can’t help but wonder why the mental health of the parents was never called into question.
Adoption (especially transcultural adoption) is one of the most scrutinized child-welfare processes there is. Home studies have to be updated annually and altogether renewed biannually, criminal and child abuse clearances, cross cultural training, references, etc. All that and still you have not just one, but two, parents who may have murdered their children?
Never mind adoption, no black person prone to murder or suicide would even be left alone with a white child. Yet these women were allowed to adopt several black children. Why? Because the system blindly trusts white people, even with other people’s’ children. White people are so indiscriminately trusted that authorities don’t question their suitability to raise children of color. The System takes black children away from their families because of sometimes real, sometimes perceived instability and places them in the homes of unstable white folks. If parental instability is acceptable why not leave the children with the unstable parents to whom they were born?
That’s what black people are up in arms about. And, if we aren’t up in arms about that what hope of safety or advocacy do our children have?
I would like to know if any more children were place with her after being brought up on charges for abuse in Minnesota. I’m not sure if I have seen that information anywhere!
Lisa,
Thank you for joining the conversation. I don’t think in all of the commentary I’ve read about this case, I’ve seen this argument; that the problem is assuming White people, even if mentally unstable, are somehow better options for Black children. Or that perhaps even, that White people aren’t adequately screened to adopt or foster Black children b/c it is assumed they are inherently qualified. That is troubling and disturbing and if that is the case, that these women weren’t adequately screened before placing or removing children in their care, then those deaths are on somebody’s hands in the “system.” I am still watching and waiting for more information.
As Lisa pointed out, there is a huge process to becoming an adoptive parent. We jumped through all kinds of hoops. One agency actually turned us down because of my history of an eating disorder. The agency we ended up using said something along the lines of “you got through it. It shows strength of character. And you are not afraid to ask for help if you need it.”
Just an anecdote. I know the plural of anecdote isn’t data.
I think (one of) the problem here is follow up care. We only had 18 months of follow up care, social worker visits, etc. And when I noticed speech delays and other things amiss (after the follow up reports were over) with my daughter and reach out for help, I was made to feel like the hysterical mother. In fact, I was only taken seriously when I started bringing my husband along.
I read up a bit after my first posts, these kids were homeschooled and had left MN. (Maybe to evade social services?) It seems to me that they dealt with crisis in the house with physical abuse and psychological abuse. Devonte had started asking his neighbors for food which is what prompted the neighbors to call social services. Who was checking up on these kids? They isolated these kids, so the abuse would remain hidden, conjecture I know.
Hey, I know dealing with kids that come with baggage is difficult, but that’s what you signed up for! Seek help! Be honest about your abilities.
Bottom line: I think Lisa might be on something. Maybe when people seem too perfect on paper, you shouldn’t trust them. Also because some workers have biases, I am sure these biases carry over. No doubt.
It call comes down to this some people idealize adoption. We are going to adopt these children, give them a loving home, and bam…all is good. Adoption, at its nature, comes from loss. A child who has lost a set of caregivers, especially at an older age, can suffer from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. When children suffer from these things, their behavior suffers. They are not their best selves. It’s the parents job to help the child. And, these children can be resistant to help and understandably reluctant to trust.
I believe that many abuse stories from adoptive parents stem from the parents have more good intentions than patience. When confronted with the complicated nature of attachment, PTSD, anxiety, the parents cannot deal. (And of course, you just have some sadistic folks in the world as well!) While interracial adoption does add another layer to the adoption story, it’s hardly at play in these kind of cases. It’s not the KEY factor by a long shot.
Signed: A parent who has adopted internationally/ interracially a beautiful and sweet daughter with developmental delays, language processing disorder, and anxiety.