African-American / Bi-Racial Adoption

FRC is proud to offer a special grants program for children of African-American or partial African-American descent who are being placed for adoption. These child-specific grants are designed to attract families and reduce the cost of adopting.

For more than 18 years African-American adoption has been an area of special interest to FRC. We have a diverse staff and real hands-on experience working in this area.

FRC has taken the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) to heart and ensures that the placement of children for adoption is not delayed or denied based on race, color or national origin. This law was orignially passed by the United States Congress in 1994 and was designed to remove barriers to permanency for children, African American children in particular, in the child welfare systems, and to facilitate the recruitment of qualified adoptive parents for all children.

FRC believes that children deserve the right to a speedy placement with permanent and loving parents as soon as they are legally freed for adoption.  MEPA specifically prohibits denying prospective adoptive parents the opportunity to adopt a child or children based on race, color or national origin.

The sprit of the law is embodied in Family Resource Center’s approach to adoption and tradition of empowering individuals to understand their rights and options.  FRC fully supports the right of the people we work with to make decisions for themselves.  This means in practice that a birth mother who is part or fully African American will be presented with all the families in FRC’s waiting adoptive parent community – who would be interested in adopting her child – whatever their ethnic origin.  We believe that this is the right thing to do.

FRC is also not naive about the implications of parents adopting an African American child when they are not of the same race.  When a family adopts a child who is from a different ethnic or racial background additional training and education is prudent, responsible and warranted.  When a family adopts across racial and ethnic boundaries they become a “conspicuous family.”   FRC believes that learning how to anticipate and develop positive strategies for talking with children about who they are and how their family was formed should be part of the adoption process – particularly when looking at trans-racial and trans-cultural adoptions.

The simple truth is that our adoption agency welcomes all families who are interested in

adopting African American Adoption.  Our diverse staff and volunteer board are committed to developing loving family resources for every child.

We look forward to speaking with you.

To learn more about adopting an African American child or when FRC is holding its next

Domestic Program Introduction meeting, please call us at (773) 334-2300 or (800) 676-2229, or simply click here to Get Started Today!.