Back to Page OneRegardless of MEPA, there is still a strong effort to have black children in foster care placed with black families. For several years, there has been a concerted effort to loosen the criteria for black families whether it is single adults, working class folks or seniors. Also, many adoption agencies have tried to diversify their staffs.
"African American families have always adopted informally, so the idea of taking care of children is not unfamiliar to African Americans," explains Hochman. "It was going to an agency that was unfamiliar. So agencies had to make a formal effort to change their ways of reaching families and to make them know they were welcome."
In 1981, Catholic Priest
Father George Clements instituted the "One Church, One Child" program at the predominantly black Holy Angels Church in Chicago. Clements became the first priest to adopt children (he went on to adopt four); his program is now in 35 states and has placed over 100,000 children with families.
"There's a tremendous need for the black community to respond to the needs of black children who are in foster care," says Arie Sailor, Executive Director of
One Church One Child Florida. "Historically, the black church has been the focal point of the black community, so if you want to get the black folks, you need to go to the black church."
Sailor's chapter of OCOC provides services to the community through speaking engagements throughout the state, and sometimes sending photos and information for posts in church bulletins, with an emphasis on trying to keep sibling groups together.
"If we could get at least one family from one church to adopt one child, we could get this problem solved," says Sailor.
Historically, there have also been cases of black parents adopting children of other races. Josephine Baker adopted what she termed a "Rainbow Tribe" of children in the '50s. Prosperity preacher
Creflo Dollar adopted a white child when he and his wife were engaged.
Dollar says that he met his son when he was an educational therapist at a psychiatric hospital, and recounts that the child had many "horrible" experiences. Dollar, who went on to also adopt a black child, strongly advocates the adoption of needy children.
"There are a lot of issues that are going on in our society and it's not the child's fault," says Dollar. "I think that if God has really blessed you that we should be willing to be a blessing."
