https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80 A conversation about transracial adoption and its impact on Randall and Kevin's fight en-us 2021-10-27 20:43:13 UTC 2021-10-27 21:52:42 UTC hello@padlet.com kswaminathan https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849435000 Although parents may struggle to navigate raising a child with a different racial identity, transracial adoption can be deeply harmful to the adopted child and their sibling(s) if parents do not acknowledge racial identity, racism, and plan for future conversations surrounding both topics. Randall and Kevin have a poor relationship and fight often because Rebecca and Jack failed to facilitate a conversation about race and racism between the siblings.  ]]> 2021-10-27 20:49:35 UTC https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849435000 kswaminathan https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849452184 During their night out, Kevin admits to Randall that growing up he felt Randall was privileged with special treatment by Rebecca because of his background as a black child adopted into a white family. This is especially apparent in Kevin's negative reaction to a black man replacing him as The Manny. Perhaps, this is why Kevin seems so attention-seeking at times and craves being in the spotlight. His desire to be recognized has lead to resentment towards Randall and a thirst for external validation, attention, and recognition. Kevin feels threatened by Randall's blackness because (although Randall was subjected to bullying and alienation) Kevin associates Randall's racial identity with preferential treatment from Rebecca. He associates Randall's unique identity to attention and love failing to take into account the discrimination Randall has dealt with his entire life. ]]> 2021-10-27 21:00:14 UTC https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849452184 kswaminathan https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849455389 Randall admits that he was indeed given preferential treatment by Rebecca but that ultimately, he NEEDED it because he was not receiving external acceptance, love, or affection from any other source: not Kevin, not Kate, not from friends or classmates at school, and not from his biological parents who he struggled with feeling abandoned by. Kevin's whiteness represents privilege, popularity, and unconditional acceptance into white society. This likely explains Randall's intense desire to compete with Kevin because he feels driven to prove himself in an environment where he is constantly discriminated against for his racial identity. ]]> 2021-10-27 21:02:24 UTC https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849455389 kswaminathan https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849460414 “I think every adoptee inevitably is going to go through a period where the shock of race is real,” she says. “It can happen when you’re 8 or 13 or 28. And when you’re really depressed and feel really different you don’t want to hear love is enough. That’s b—s— because I wouldn’t be feeling like this if that were true.” The best thing Scott’s mother did, she says, was to listen to her pain, rather than dismiss her with excuses or denials, and love her through it unconditionally.]]> 2021-10-27 21:05:44 UTC https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849460414 kswaminathan https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849464840 "This despite a 2008 report from the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, an adoption research and policy organization, that reaffirmed that “black children had a greater sense of racial pride when their parents acknowledged racial identity, moved to integrated neighborhoods, and provided African American role models.” The report also found that black kids whose white parents minimized the importance of racial identity became reluctant to identify themselves racially." ]]> 2021-10-27 21:08:52 UTC https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849464840 kswaminathan https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849471394 Transracially adopted youth are also very affected by white siblings’ attitudes toward race and willingness to fight racism. Ideally, every white family member should become “transracialized,” a term coined by Dr. John Raible, Assistant Professor of Diversity and Curriculum Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Transracialization occurs when, through immersion in a multicultural lifestyle, white people get comfortable with diverse populations, recognize racism, and support and defend family members of color.]]> 2021-10-27 21:13:25 UTC https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849471394 kswaminathan https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849519049 Rebecca's preferential treatment of Randall was a tool for Rebecca to navigate her own guilt and despair as a white woman with a son facing persistent discrimination in their town. Had Rebecca taken ownership of the situation by acknowledging race and privilege, Randall and Kevin may not have fought and competed with each other as intensely as they did. ]]> 2021-10-27 21:47:59 UTC https://padlet.com/kswaminathan/5457xdlmd597kp80/wish/1849519049