Dear Anti-Racist Parent,
My American family is transracial: my husband and I are white, and our kids, who were adopted from Ethiopia, are black. We are now living in Egypt, but we always think about where we’d like to live once we move back to the US. Where is the best place for a transracial family to live?
We want someplace with good public schools, where we can afford to live in an integrated or black neighborhood (it’s okay if my husband and I are in the minority), and preferably someplace where we’d interact with a range of people on a daily basis. I’d love to hear about particular neighborhoods in particular cities, not just cities themselves. Thanks!
From egypt4 in Egypt
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Things may have changed, but when I lived in Northern Virginia (Alexandria specifically) the thing I loved most about it was the diversity. My classmates and later my co-workers were from all around the world so it was a wonderful experience for me.
At the time, Alexandria had the largest population of Ethiopians so I am sure that had something to do with my interest in the country as well. The schools seem to be an issue now but as I recall people always tried to make the high school an issue (“Remember the Titans”) due to the large black population but Alexandria made sure they only had one high school in order to make sure desegregation actually took place.
As for neighborhoods, Del-Ray, Beverly Hills and the West End have been mentioned favorably on city-data.com but I have been gone too long to address that more specifically. As you know, every community has its issues, but I have not lived in an area like the metro DC area since and I miss it.
Shaker Heights, OH is an inner ring suburb of Cleveland that is very integrated and also has very good public schools and other city services. The city has been the subject of national media attention because of how unique it is in the respect.
http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2002/segregation3/b07-401270.htm
We are also white adoptive parents of two black children and specifically chose Shaker Heights when moving to Cleveland because of the racial and cultural diversity that is encouraged and celebrated in the area.
I live in Silver Spring, MD, just outside Washington, DC. I live in a very diverse neighborhood with good schools. Silver Spring has a large Ethiopian population, as well as many latinos, African Americans, Asians and caucasians. It is probably the most integrated place I have ever lived. I am happy to be raising my Ethiopian daughter here.
I second Shaker Heights, OH. I grew up in Cleveland Heights (right next door), and didn’t realize until I was in college how special it was. Shaker has a better school system, which is why I would recommend it over Cleveland Heights. It is liberal, very green (as in full of trees), and just quick car or train ride away from downtown Cleveland.
The East Atlanta neighborhood outside of Atlanta, GA is wonderful for diverse families. It’s a beautiful neighborhood, lots of trees and parks and very family-friendly. There are a huge number of people from all different backgrounds and they’re very welcoming and open of more families. Atlanta also has a large Ethiopian community in general (30,000+). As a PAP from Ethiopia (waiting on referral for 2 months), we’ve gotten to know many native Ethiopians as well as the large group of families from all around Atlanta who have adopted or will be adopting from Ethiopia.
Best of luck in making your decision!
There were a couple of posts a while back that addressed this a bit in the comments section:
http://www.loveisntenough.com/2007/04/18/from-trinidad-to-houston/#comments
http://www.loveisntenough.com/2007/06/06/finding-a-kindergarten-for-a-multiracial-family/
We have found the South Orange/Maplewood NJ area to be a comfortable place for our multiracial family. But, as noted above, no community is issue-free – as discussed in this later post:
http://www.loveisntenough.com/2007/07/11/still-maplewood-wrong-side-of-the-tracks/
Psychobabbler,
I knew someone would not let me overlook my current home.
In the Chicago area, I would recommend Hyde Park–pretty diverse racially with a mix of whites, Blacks and Asians, though not many Latino families. It’s pretty upper middle class because it’s become expensive. For suburbs, I would suggest Oak Park or Evanston, although there is some segregation in those areas, but they’re much more diverse than Chicago overall.
Waving right back at ya DWS…look for me in your in-box in the next couple of days…
The South Oakland neighborhood, in Pittsburgh, PA.
I’d recommend Northern Virginia in general. I grew up in Fairfax County, which has some of the best public schools in the country. There definitely some areas that are less diverse than others, but even at my “rich white kid” high school, there was more diversity than most affluent suburbs would ever dare dream. I currently live in Alexandria and live in an apartment complex populated many of Ethiopians. There are a lot of Ethiopian shops and restaurants around too. NOVA isn’t perfect in its diversity, but it’s comfortable and there is a lot of wonderful free cultural offerings.
The major draw back is that housing is expensive.
Northern Virginia BY FAR!!! I’ve lived here my WHOLE LIFE and the one thing I live about Fairfax County (a big section of Northern VA) is that the schools are good, lots of people are highly educated, and there is a GREAT mix of ethnicity. There is so much support for all groups of people. Also, it’s so close to so many great thigs: DC, Williamsburg, the beach… Check it out!!
Ryan
In my city (NYC) there are some very well mixed & affordable neighborhoods. Roughly in order from most to least affordable, some I would suggest looking at are Flatbush in Brooklyn, St. George in Staten Island, Sunset Park in Brooklyn, Jackson Heights in Queens, Fort Greene in Brooklyn, Astoria in Queens, Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, and West Harlem in Manhattan.
Co-signing on the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights (like Susannah, I grew up in Cleveland Heights) and the Chicago suburbs of Oak Park (1st choice) and Evanston (2nd choice).
I lived in Hyde Park in the mid 1990s but I found a real division between the university community (mostly white/Asian) and the “townies” (mostly black). Maybe things have changed since then.
i find that a lot of the fairfax county schools may be diverse however they do not promote/encourage/motivate its diverse ethnic groups they tend to only help those who are the typical “white IB” students. I personally have experienced it at Marshall Highschool in Falls Church, VA. Does anyone know of a school that puts forth more effort in reaching out to the students who come from diverse ethnic groups who not only want an excellent education but a great learning enviroment…where they are not looked down upon??? Thank you!.. I have a younger sister going through the same situation and would like to enroll her in another highschool
I would caution about Oak Park, IL. I don’t think the reality meets the reputation. As a white couple we decided to stay in Oak Park when we were planning to have kids. Once our kids were in school we saw they were treated as a statistic or demographic, known more for being adopted black and multiracial kids, with odd assumptions along with that.
Moving to a suburb without the strong reputation for “diversity” we find our kids are treated as individuals and they are having a more diverse experience. White kids who also go to summer school, black professionals that live in our neighborhood etc.
White kids who get in trouble, and Latino kids who are their friends, etc
And they are suffering less for the “tolerance” white Oak Park demonstrates towards blacks.
It is hard to explain, but I think my issue was that people who live in Oak Park don’t think there is any work left to do toward racial equality or awareness around their whiteness.
That’s my experience.
Takoma Park, MD and the neighboring section of Silver Spring. I am the parent of two girls, one black, the other biracial. Both have had very positive educational and social experiences in this section of Montgomery County. There’s a mix of incomes and cultural backgrounds. There are many transracial and adoptive families so your kids will not be novelties. The Ethiopian community is huge and my biracial daughter is often mistaken for Ethiopian.
I would like to add a further question along the lines of this one. What is the safest neighborhood for a teen or adult African-American male? I am very worried about my teenage son. Since adopting him I have been pulled over many times while driving with him in the car. This never happened to me before. He is such a quiet innocent boy, I do not know how he would handle these situations on his own. Are mixed neighborhoods necessarily the best in terms of police enlightenment? I am interested in the west coast especially from Seattle to Portland, but would also consider California. In Portland about a year ago there was a black man killed by police in what I believe was a routine traffic stop. Seattle also has been in the news for rising harassemnt of black teens. So I am not sure a mixed city neighborhood is the safest.