Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum issued the following announcement on Nov. 13.
November: Adoption Awareness Month
A month dedicated to adoption shines a spotlight on the adoptive families in our lives. Many people have been impacted by adoption, and this month also serves as a way of acknowledging them. The adoption world challenges us always (but especially in November) to look at adoption as selfless and loving as opposed to selfish and deserting. Awareness about adoption is not only about happiness and celebration. It is also honoring the difficult decision made by birth parents.
When did Adoption Awareness Month start?
In the United States, it was not until 1976 when Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts announced that the state would have Adoption Week to bring awareness to adopt children in foster care (Children’s Bureau, 2020). In 1984, President Ronald Regan declared adoption week as a national event. Other states soon followed, so President Bill Clinton lengthened the adoption week to the entire month of November (Children’s Bureau, 2020).
What does adoption look like?
There is a variety of ways that adoption can be handled. It all depends on what the birth mother wants and feels more comfortable with. The birth mother can decide if she wants a closed or open adoption.
What is Closed Adoption? – Adoptions in the Past
In the past, closed adoptions were the most common type of adoption. Closed adoption is having no contact between the adoptive family and the birth parents. This also meant that everything was confidential. Personal information was never known between the adoptive family and birth parents. Unplanned pregnancies and single motherhood were seen negatively. Women would often want closed adoptions, so no one would find out that they had a child. They were fearful of the shame associated with adoption and having an unplanned pregnancy. Adopted children in closed adoption grow up not knowing anything about their birth parents or how to contact them. The birth parents may never know how their child fared in the end. For those reasons and more, closed adoption is now rarely seen in today’s adoptions.
What is Open Adoption? – Adoptions in the Present
Open adoption is more common now. It is a type of adoption that lets the birth parents and the adoptive family share personal information and/or stay in contact with or without the facilitation of the adoption agency after the adoption finalization. Throughout this process, the birth parents and the adoptive family can get to know each other and share special moments of the adopted child’s growth and life. Each family may have different ways of managing this relationship. Birth mothers may vary in how many contacts they desire as well. Adoptive and birth families might agree to have in-person visits or directly share phone calls, photo sharing apps or emails. They may elect to have the adoptive agency forward pictures and updates directly. There are a variety of ways to keep in contact.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum
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