This post was originally published at Racialicious on August 17, 2006.
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
Quite a few people have pointed us to this New York Times article on transracial adoption today. (Thanks daddyinastrangeland, Naro% and Takara!) I haven’t had much time to formulate any intelligent thoughts on this yet, so I’m just going to paste some excerpts here for your review.
I am quite struck by the main photo used to the illustrate the article though. Maybe it’s just the way I’m reading the picture, but to me it looks like an anonymous white man kidnapping a cute black child.
Here are links to some bloggers who have covered it:
You really think that looks like an abduction? The body language of both adult and child looks relaxed. Do all mixed race families look like an abduction scenario?
I’ve often been questioned about why my daughter doesn’t look like me, but fortunately nobody has ever accused me of abducting her!
Just from the photo alone, I can’t even tell that the man is supposed to be white.
As a social work student, my first impression was that the child was being removed from the home by a CPS worker and was looking back at her home. There a many loving poses that could have been used here, but it doesn’t look like a kidnapping to me, but, then again, pictures don’t always tell the full story.