It was one of the largest studies yet of transracial adoptions and focuses on the first generation of children adopted from South Korea. Some points from the executive summary:

• Adoption is an increasingly significant aspect of identity for adopted people as they age, and remains so even when they are adults.
• Race/ethnicity is an increasingly significant aspect of identity for those adopted across color and culture.
• Coping with discrimination is an important aspect of coming to terms with racial/ethnic identity for adoptees of color.
• Adopted people of all colors report that they experience discrimination, based on how they entered their families, in all settings of their lives.
• Most transracial adoptees considered themselves White or wanted to be White as children.
• Positive racial/ethnic identity development is most effectively facilitated by “lived” experiences such as travel to native country, racially diverse schools, and role models from their same race/ethnicity.

The study also makes recommendations for adoption practice and policy to promote positive adoptive and transracial/cultural identity. Check out the summary.

Related: New York Times article about the study: “Adopted from Korea and in Search of Identity“

Girl: She’s black.

Aaron: Yep, she has black skin.

Girl: Why?

Aaron: Why is she black? [Let's assume this question is mostly about why she's black and we're not.] Well, we actually adopted her. She’s from another country, in Africa….

A little bit later they were back at the door.

Girl 1: I can’t understand her when she talks.

Aaron: Yeah…She’s only two. She’s still working on learning to talk.

Girl 2: It’s because she’s Spanish!

Aaron: Spanish? Oh, no, she’s not speaking Spanish. She’s just not that good at talking yet.

Girl 1: It’s because she’s from another country!

Aaron: No, not really…

Darn that pesky African Spanish accent!