From theGrio.com.

African-American children make up 30 percent of the 500,000 children currently in the American foster care system, despite being only 14 percent of the U.S. population. On top of being over-represented, these youths are less frequently selected for adoption compared to other kids.

Could the skin tone of black children play a role in whether they are chosen — especially if the family considering them is black? Mardie Caldwell, founder and CEO of the Lifetime Adoption agency, says this is true — and that this bias is exclusive to African-Americans.

“We’ve found that many African-American families have definite preferences for the type of children they want, whether it’s newborns [or older children], and also in terms of their physical appearance,” Caldwell told theGrio. The author of seven books on the adoption process, including her latest, Called to Adoption, suggested that the finicky tastes of black families made private agencies reluctant to work with them.

“A lot of organizations and other adoption professionals have actually stopped doing African-American adoptions. We’re one of the few centers, Lifetime Adoptions, that does African-American and biracial adoptions, and we’re one of the largest in the United States,” she explained. “When families come to us they will actually give us preferences and say ‘we want to stick with a child that looks like us, and we’re lighter-skinned or we’re darker-skinned.’ It does make it difficult at times.”

By contrast, “if we have families that may be biracial — one partner is Caucasian and the other is African-American — we can come to them with any black child, and they’re more open,” Caldwell said. “The same is true with Caucasian families, which is why you’re seeing more Caucasians adopting children of color, because they really don’t care about the shade.”

Read the rest of the story at theGrio.com.

More on Madame Noire!

• Karrine Steffans, Please Have a Seat and Delete Your Twitter Account While You’re at It
• Tips to Maintaining a Weave: Products, Hair Recommendations and More
• Ask A Very Smart Brotha Live: Sifting Through the Sh!t & Waiting for Him to Commit
• Top Beauty Picks: Exfoliators For Every Type of Skin
• When His Problems Shouldn’t Be Yours
• A Final Word: What Drove Whitney To Bobby?
• Celebs Who Rode Their Famous Sibling’s Coattails to Success
• Uplifting Nuggets of Wisdom From Maya Angelou

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

source: blackcelebkids.com

As you may already know, Sex & The City star Kristin Davis adopted a cute little brown baby Gemma Rose about seven months ago. She recently went on Anderson Cooper to talk about her experience of adopting and the anxiety involved with the long, protracted adoption process.

More on Madame Noire!

• Karrine Steffans, Please Have a Seat and Delete Your Twitter Account While You’re at It
• Tips to Maintaining a Weave: Products, Hair Recommendations and More
• Ask A Very Smart Brotha Live: Sifting Through the Sh!t & Waiting for Him to Commit
• Top Beauty Picks: Exfoliators For Every Type of Skin
• When His Problems Shouldn’t Be Yours
• A Final Word: What Drove Whitney To Bobby?
• Celebs Who Rode Their Famous Sibling’s Coattails to Success
• Uplifting Nuggets of Wisdom From Maya Angelou

At least when Ne-Yo and his girlfriend spend stacks on foolishness like strippers at Magic City they round it out by doing good. Monyetta Shaw, Ne-Yo’s girl and the mother of his two children, has reportedly agreed to adopt 48 children from the African nation of Swaziland.

The children won’t actually be living with the couple, but Monyetta did agree to pay each child’s living expenses for an entire year, which adds up to about $20,000. The sponsorship is apart of Beyond the Game, a charitable organization founded by “Football Wife” Chanita Foster who is the former wife of Georgia Bulldog George Foster. It’s nice to know Monyetta isn’t just riding off of being Ne-Yo’s girl. Can’t get mad at that.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• More than Foxy Brown: Queens of Blaxploitation Films
• What’s Your Secret? 40-Something Women Who Look 30-Something
• NFL Player Loses Wife and Mother of Two to Suspected Brain Aneurysm
• Madonna, Chelsea Handler and White Woman Privilege
• Does Beyoncé’s Loreal Campaign Offend You?
• Ray J Discusses Relationships with ‘KK’ and Whitney in New Tell-All Book
• Who Deserves The Blame For Whitney Houston’s Demise?
• 10 Common Natural Hair Habits You Should Stop…Now

When I first read that a billionaire had adopted his girlfriend, I thought he was on some sort of creepy Morgan Freeman-type ish, but turns out the adoption is a legal maneuver to protect assets in a pending civil suit.

John Goodman, founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Fl, is being sued for the wrongful death of Scott Patrick Wilson, a 23-year-old he struck and killed in a drunk-driving accident in February 2010. Wanting to protect his earnings, estimated at several hundred million dollars, the 48-year-old adopted his girlfriend of two years, Heather Laruso Hutchins, in October, putting money in a trust for the 42-year-old who is now his child, legally.

West Palm Beach Judge Glenn Kelley wrote in a court order that these moves “border on the surreal and take the Court into a legal twilight zone.”

“The Defendant has effectively diverted a significant portion of the assets of the children’s trust to a person with whom he is intimately involved at a time when his personal assets are largely at risk in this case.”

Goodman has two biological children but they’re under 35, the pre-determined age at which they can control their trust funds. Since Hutchins is over the age of 35, her adoption entitles her to a one-third beneficiary interest in the trust. Previously, the court ruled that the assets owned by Goodman’s children could not be considered as part of his net worth in calculations for assessing punitive damages, but with this adoption, the family of Scott Patrick says that should change.

On the flip side, Goodman’s attorney, Daniel Bachi, maintains that “Nothing in this arrangement with Ms. Hutchins is illegal.”

“Everything that has been done by Mr. Goodman was done with the intention to preserve and grow the assets of the Trust for his two minor children, even should he personally be unable to continue his historical role in achieving these goals.”

Even though Goodman has thrown the legal system for a financial loop, nothing can protect him from the potential 30-year sentence he could receive if convicted in the drunk-driving case. Goodman’s civil trial is set for March 27 and his criminal trial for charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and leaving the scene of a crash is on March 6.

What do you think about this legal move? Genius or creepy?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• Stupid H*e Isn’t So Stupid: 7 Other Random Videos That Should’ve Been Banned
• Tracy Morgan and Why It’s Hard To Judge Family Relations
• Men of a Certain Age: The Pros and Cons of Dating Much Younger and Older Guys
• Undercover Brothers: Not-So-Famous Brothers of Famous Celebs
• Why Won’t My Hair Grow?!” 4 Reasons Why Your Hair is Stalling
• 7 Things That Could Change The Way He Feels About You
• I’m a Survivor: Maia Campbell Talks New Career and Sobriety

I love being a mom–it’s absolutely one of the best things in my life. I have four, with age ranges from 14 and 2 years-old. My kids are hilarious, and so happy and optimistic about life and that makes me look at my own life anew. However there is a flipside: They are a lot of work. It’s impossible to be lazy if you’re going to do this whole parent thing well enough so that your kids won’t need a psychiatrist in adulthood. Gosh. I wish someone would have told me a few things about having kids before I started popping them out, such as…

Read the rest of this entry »

Queen Latifah has an amazing cover on the upcoming issue of MORE magazine, and inside she reveals some personal details of her plans for the future, including wanting to adopt.

She says, “I’m definitely going to adopt, or have a child. I’ve wanted to adopt since I was 17 or 18-years-old.”

It seems there isn’t anything that the 41-year-old rapper, actress, jazz singer, and cover girl model can’t do. Adding mother to the list only seems fitting. She told MORE that the death of her older brother in a motorcycle accident in 1992 inspired her to realize her dreams of motherhood. She also talks about the devastation of the loss and finding the strength to carry on.

“I know for a fact that my brother would not want me to stay right there, stuck in that misery. If the person who you lost loved you like you loved them, there’s no way they would not want you to live your life to the maximum, to appreciate it, to go for your dreams, go for your goals.”

Do you think the Queen will make a good mommy?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• The 8 Most Underrated Actresses
• 7 Socially-Conscious Cuties We Adore
• 6 Mistakes Women Make Just Like Men
• Why Are Black Men Discussing Our Hair on Dr. Drew’s “Life Changers”?
• Hollywood’s Top Nine Failed Marriages: Are Hollywood Couples Cursed?
• Why Does He Fear Gold diggers When He Really Wants Them?
• What Your Man’s Car Says About Him

When Steve Jobs passed everyone marveled at the fact that this adoptee had been able to achieve so much. The assumption is that if you’re adopted you’re at a disadvantage. These celebrities have proven that this is not always true.

Check out this surprising list at BlackEnterprise.com.

Viola Davis and her husband, actor Julian Tennon, have adopted a baby boy named Genesis. Our fave actress spilled the beans during an ELLE Women in Hollywood event during which she was honored on Monday. Tennon and 46-year-old Davis have been married since 2003. This will be the first child for Davis although she has two step-children from Tennon her husband. Davis has a lot to celebrate this year. Her summer movie “The Help” was one of the biggest hits of the year and did extremely well considering it was led by an all-female cast.

More on Madame Noire

• McDonald’s Worker Viciously Beats Two Unruly Female Customers: Was He Justified?
• Why I’m Not Giving In to Pressures to Settle Down
• Who Run the World? The Top Ten Best Selling Girl Groups of All Time
• Blush For the Darker Beauty: Optimal Shades for Every Skin Tone
• Mom Doesn’t ALWAYS Know Best: 9 Things That Aren’t Always True
• The Luv Coach: How Can I Get Over the Memories?

Sometimes your biological family either cannot or will not be there for you. Maybe, like me, you live far away from home or your biological family is abusive, emotionally distant, or reclusive. Whatever the reason, being alone can be tough. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold and a cheerleader in their corner. Spouses and significant others can help fill the void, but they may come and go.

The good news is, if your real family is absent, you can create a group of close friends who act as your surrogate family. As an adult, forming deep friendships can be difficult with jobs, kids, and spouses. However, with some patience and effort, you can find your surrogate family. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Read the rest of this entry »

Deaths, drugs, finances, unplanned pregnancies—many of us face these issues with close friends and family. Out of love, we do our best to help, especially when children are involved. Following our emotions, some of us (me included) would adopt every child on the street that didn’t come from a stable, loving home. However, in reality, adopting (or taking in) a child is not as simple as it appears.

There is much that comes with parenting and even more that comes with a child who isn’t biologically yours—particularly true in Losing Isaiah scenarios and step-parenting on non-custodial side of things. What happens when you invest your love into a child as if they were your own, make them a part of your family and, suddenly, ten years later their biological mother gets clean and wants to regain custody? Or, what about trying to integrate an outside child into your family culture every other weekend?

Though the reward usually outweighs the inconvenience and sacrifice, adopting a relative can be taxing which is why you should ask yourself a few questions before making the leap into non-biological parenthood:

• Do you have the ability to love the child more than you love yourself?
  It’s a no-brainer for most mothers as to whether or not they would sacrifice their well-being on account of their children. At the moment of birth something clicks and suddenly they are struck with the capacity to love unconditionally, selflessly. Parenthood often requires one to put their needs on the backburner to meet those of children—for better or worse, rich or poor. Would you be willing to give that child the last bite with no way to feed yourself?
• Are you being driven by emotions or clear thought?
  Emotions are unpredictable and deceiving; they flutter up and down, left to right. Remove your emotions from the decision and weigh out the pros and cons when your feelings are at rest. That way, you can accurately assess the situation and how you would tackle potential issues in the future.
• Are you flexible?
  If you’re an idealist, a less than traditional parenting setup may not be a good idea for you. Consider how firm you are on being The Mom and only mom. Ask yourself if you would wish the biological parents away or be open to making them a part of the child’s life. Adoption is an alternative form of parenting, which means it also requires a non-traditional approach.
• Can you afford it?
  No, you don’t need a million dollars to become a parent; but it costs money to raise children. Take a look at your finances and adjust your current budget with the added expenses of a child in mind. If you work, is there room for child care expenses? Can you buy school clothes and pay for dental appointments?
• Do you really want to raise someone else’s child?
  Taking a child in is a huge commitment and you have to be dedicated to that child as if they were your own, which is easier planned than done.

Adopting a new relative changes your life instantly. Think and pray through it before acting.

LaShaun Williams is a Madame Noire contributor and columnist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and across several popular sites, such as HuffPost Black Voices and the Grio. For more information, visit her blogPolitically Unapologetic or follow her on Twitter @itsmelashaun and Facebook.