Growing up Black in White

The topic of Transracial Adoption continues to be a "hot topic" among adoptive families and even adoption professionals - and many positive things have come from an increased awareness and willingness to openly discuss the topic.  There is a range of thoughts, emotions, fears, and questions between one end of the continuum, where people think that the best approach is to be "color blind", and the other, where people are hyper-sensitive to racial issues and frame everything from a racial perspective.  I personally believe that the best approach falls somewhere in the middle, where there is cultural and racial awareness with a respect for diversity. 

This past week, my husband and I had a conversation at the dinner table about the unnecessary emphasis that people place on race and skin color in an attempt to categorize people, qualities, or characteristics.  It is very true that there are way more differences and variations within one's racial group than there are between racial groups.

I came across a really interesting and thought provoking interview here with Kevin Hofmann, a biracial man who was adopted by a white family from Detroit in 1967.  He has just released a memoir of his experiences in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in a new book, Growing up Black in White.  I have not read it yet, but after watching the interview, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!