A Transracially-Adopted Child's Bill of Rights

~Every child is entitled to love and full membership in her family. ~Every child is entitled to have his culture embraced and valued. ~Every child is entitled to parents who know that this is a race conscious society. ~Every child is entitled to parents who know that she will experience life differently than they do. ~Every child is entitled to parents who are not looking to "save" him or to improve the world. ~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 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. ~Every child is entitled to opportunities to make friends with people of her race or ethnicity. ~Every child is entitled to daily opportunities of positive experiences with his birth culture. ~Every child is entitled to build racial pride within her own home, school, and neighborhood. ~Every child is entitled to have many opportunities to connect with adults of the child's race. ~Every child is entitled to parents who accept, understand and empathize with 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 multiculturalism to be an asset and to conclude, "I've got the best of both worlds." Adapted by Liza Steinberg Triggs from "A Bill of Rights for Mixed Folks," by Marilyn Drame (which in-turn was adapted from Dr. Maria P. P. Roots, "A Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage).