by Liza Steinberg
1998
Adapted from “A Bill of Rights for Mixed Folks,” by Marilyn Dramé.
Every child is entitled to love and full membership in his or her family.
Every child is entitled to have his or her heritage and culture embraced and valued.
Every child is entitled to parents who acknowledge that this is a race-conscious society.
Every child is entitled to parents who know that he or she will experience life differently than they do.
Every child is entitled to parents who are not looking to “save” him or her or to improve the world through adoption.
Every child is entitled to parents who know that being in a family doesn’t depend on “matching.”
Every child is entitled to parents who know that transracial adoption changes the family into a family of color forever.
Every child is entitled to be accepted by extended family members.
Every child is entitled to parents who know that, if they are white, they benefit from racism.
Every child is entitled to parents who know that they can’t transmit the child’s birth culture if it is not their own.
Every child is entitled to have items at home that are made for and by people of his race and/or ethnic heritage.
Every child is entitled to opportunities to make friends with people of his or her race or ethnicity.
Every child is entitled to daily opportunities of positive experiences with his or her birth culture.
Every child is entitled to build racial pride within his or her own home, school, and neighborhood.
Every child is entitled to have many opportunities to connect with adults who are the same race as they are.
Every child is entitled to parents who accept, understand and empathize with his or her culture.
Every child is entitled to learn survival, problem-solving, and coping skills in a context of racial pride.
Every child is entitled to take pride in the development of a dual identity and a multicultural/multiracial perspective on life.
Every child is entitled to find his or her racial identity to be an asset and to conclude: “I’ve got the best of both worlds!”