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Racial Reactions
When Your Family Crosses
Color Lines
Color Lines
By Michele St. Martin
(Perspectives Press, 2000), urges people to think carefully about their own attitudes about race before adopting transracially. "Building a family is not charity work – it's family building," says Hall, who is also the mother of two transracially-adopted children. "I don't think people should stretch beyond where they're comfortable, because it's not good for the kids ... People are afraid to say that there is a racial hierarchy in this country." 
To apply this to adoption, parents who may be comfortable adopting from one racial group may not be prepared to adopt from another. Though all groups face racial stereotyping, the stereotype of an African-American boy is very different from that of a Chinese girl, as are the challenges and expectations the family and child will face.
Preparing Friends and Family
Even if a single person or couple is comfortable with adopting a child of another race, they may face resistance from friends or family. Roberta Rosenberg and her husband, Rob, adopted two babies from Korea after secondary infertility. "We had more than half a dozen miscarriages after the birth of our daughter," Rosenberg says. "Then we decided we wanted to be parents again more than we wanted to try for one more viable pregnancy." 
After reviewing the options, they decided on adoption, specifically, adopting from Korea. Rosenberg's husband had some concerns about the reactions of extended family and their acceptance of adopted children of color. "Not only hadn't anyone adopted on either side of our immediate families, they didn't really know any people of color," he says. It seemed like a lot for them to accept in one fell swoop."