184 An unresolved controversy facing personal experience has been that adoption workers today is that surmany black people are not opposed rounding the adoption of black chilto transracial adoption and see the dren by white parents. One faction needs of the individual child at a given argues that the white family cannot moment as of ultimate importance. 6 equip the black child with the psychoA review of the literature revealed social tools to develop an appropriate a scarcity of research relevant to trans identity, nor can it prepare the child racial adoptions. The available litera for dealing with an oppressively racist ture can be grouped into three cate society.1 The other faction suggests go ries. The first category consists of that a white adoptive family is more the opinions of professionals and desirable for a black child than instiadoptive parents.7 The second reports tutionalization.2 Many of the argustudies of the characteristics of the ments on both sides have been emoactive participants, such as the adop tional, and few have been based on tive parents.8 The third and smallest sound empirical findings. portion of the literature examines Transracial adoptions are not new, agency responses to white couples but beginning in the 1960s they expressing interest in black children, became much more frequent. Prior to suggests guidelines for successful the 1960s, the number of babies availtransracial adoption, or describes pro able for adoption, both black and grams for recruiting more black adop white, was considerably larger than tive families.9 the number of eligible families offerThe study most similar to this one ing to adopt. But a growing use of was conducted by Herzog and others, contraception as well as an increasing who interviewed 100 individuals se tendency on the part of unwed mothlected on the basis of their knowledge ers to keep their children gradually of adoptions or of the black commu decreased the supply of available innity.10 Herzog found that black re fants. As a result, many agency reguspondents divided evenly for and lations were relaxed, and transracial against transracial adoptions and that adoptions became more common. In the main reason for opposition was 1970, one-third of the 6,500 black the issue of the children's black iden children in adoption were placed with tity. Herzog's work was valuable for white families.3 bringing to light some of the reasons Alarmed by this mushrooming deterring black parents from adoption, trend, in April 1972 the National However, because of the nature of Association of Black Social Workers her sample, one cannot safely assume adopted the policy that black children that her findings on transracial adop should be placed only with black famtions are representative of the attitudes ilies, whether in foster care or adopof the larger black community. tion.4 As a result of this policy, some