I think though, as adoptive parents of multiracial kids we are also in the position to teach others (some you may reach, others not) about how the world "should be". We have the opportunity to do that - and the more people who embrace that as adoptive parents - the wider the circle of acceptance goes. Sure, some of mt family was sceptical about us raising a black child - so was the orphange director where he came from. They wanted Zulu kids to stay within the Zulu culture - but I don't think there would be one person now who sees him as he is happy, healthy, well-adjusted etc would still feel that way. And we can all do that within our communities. I think we all agree that the best case scenario for all kids would be to be raised by their healthy biological parents within their own cultures, but that is not reality either.
As adoptive parents we are teachers, whether we want that role or not (in my opinion). Think about it - every time someone says "what was his/her real mother like" and you answer "I am his real mother, did you mean his birthnother?" you taught that person something. Most of the racial remarks we've dealt with so far have been sprung from ignorance, not malice. So many people live their entire lives without giving their existence much thought - they say racial phrases without even realizing they are racially charged. That is our chancee to step in (as enlightened adoptive parents of course!!!) and correct them. Maybe it will stick, maybe not.
I guess I just feel saying things like "our world isn't colour blind" etc - while that's true, we can all take little steps to make it less so for the next generation, and so on. I've spent a lot of time in South Africa, and those feelings of racism, etc have not disappeared, and their legacy of apartheid is in the much more recent past than the US's history of slavery, etc - but most realize it will take time and the releasing of the anger, hatred etc on both sides for SA to be a truly egalitarian society. Blacks and whites realize this.
Whew - i sure tend to go on for along time once I'v estarted, don't I?
