Racial Identity

Please find some of our best articles, essays and reviews on this topic.

For more topics and articles, check out our full listing on our Resource Library.

Developing positive racial identity doesn’t just mean being strong enough to stand up against racism, it means being encouraged to own and embrace your racial/ethnic heritage with pride, including the experience of being part of a targeted group that refused to succumb to –isms, and celebrating the legacy of being victor rather than victim. Articles include research and expert advice about how children of all races learn and internalize racialized identity, as well as personal explorations of identity by people of African American, Asian, Latino, Multiracial, Indigenous and white (European) heritage in the context of transracial, international, and same-race adoption.

If you prefer, you can use our Library Search Tool to search by title or author. All the material in this section is copyrighted by Pact; for permission to reproduce or re-post it, please contact us at education@pactadopt.org.

• "Racially Conscientious" - Parenting In A "Colorblind" Society
  by Terry Keleher (2011 | 124 KB | )
  
• (Multi)Racial Identity Model
  by Sue Harris O’Connor (2007 | 45 KB | )
  
• A Bill of Rights for Mixed Folks?
  by Marilyn Blake Dramé (1996 | 125 KB | )
  
• A World of Hurt Even a Mother Can’t Soothe
  by Meri Nana-Ama Danquah (1997 | 118 KB | )
  
• Address to Teachers - An African American Parent’s Perspective
  by Kimberly Rockwell (1997 | 113 KB | )
  
• ADHD and African American Children
  by Willie B. Garrett (1996 | 96 KB | )
  
• Adopted Person Profile - Race And My Family
  by Liza Steinberg (1997 | 96 KB | )
  
• All of Nathan’s Family
  by Pamela, Barbara, Suzanne & John (1997 | 91 KB | )
  
• An Opposing View - Biracial Census Status Would Hurt Our Status
  by Joe Madison (1998 | 96 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: African or African American?
  by Lisa Marie Rollins (2008 | 123 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Black Hair and the Politics of Beauty
  by Lisa Marie Rollins (2008 | 380 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Hair Is an Adoption Issue
  by Pact (2005 | 467 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Hip Hop
  by Pact (2006 | 341 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Our Son Doesn’t Mind Being The Only Only
  by Lisa Marie Rollins (2008 | 104 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Responding to Racist Comments from Kids
  by Pact Campers Listserv (2008 | 356 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Taking Risks and Making Connections
  by Martha Rynberg (2012 | 127 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: To Move or Not To Move?
  by Beth Hall (2009 | 60 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Transracial Adoption, Laying Our Cards On the Table
  (2011 | 120 KB | )
  
• Attachment in International Adoption
  by Susan Soon-keum Cox (2000 | 70 KB | )
  
• Being An Immigrant to the United States
  by Ana Bagtas (1996 | 119 KB | )
  
• Beyond Black History Month: An Interview with Michael Thompson
  (2011 | 119 KB | )
  
• Billowing Forth
  by Christopher Knaus (2007 | 113 KB | )
  
• Biracial Children and the Emperor’s New Clothes
  by Gail Steinberg (1992 | 311 KB | )
  
• Book Review: Can We Talk about Race?
  by Beverly Daniel Tatum (2008 | 90 KB | )
  
• Book Review: I’m Chocolate, You’re Vanilla
  by Marguerite Wright (2006 | 85 KB | )
  
• Book Review: In Their Parents’ Voices
  by Rita Simon and Rhonda Roorda  (2006 | 104 KB | )
  
• Book Review: Once They Hear My Name: Korean Adoptees and Their Journey
  by Marilyn Lammert, Ellen Lee and Mary Anne Hess (2009 | 406 KB | )
  
• Book Review: Slant
  by Laura Williams (2010 | 361 KB | )
  
• Book Review: Why Can’t You Look Like Me?
  by Ola Zuri (2010 | 525 KB | )
  
• Brown Babies, Pink Parents: A Practical Guide to Transracial Parenting
  by Amy Ford, Reviewed by Shannon Riehle (2011 | 101 KB | )
  
• Building Racial Identity
  by J. Todd Chas (1997 | 96 KB | )
  
• Building Racial Identity - The Challenge of Religion
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1997 | 116 KB | )
  
• Building Racial Identity - When Family Members Do Not Support A Child’s Racial Identity
  by Gail Steinberg (1996 | 125 KB | )
  
• Can White People Nurture Black Kids Effectively?
  by RoAnne Elliot (1998 | 111 KB | )
  
• Daughter-in-Law’s Tale - Race and Class
  by Michele Rabkin (2007 | 113 KB | )
  
• Dealing with Racism
  by Beth Hall (2012 | 0 KB | )
  
• Dealing with Racism: Perspective of a White Transracial Adoptive Parent
  by Beth Hall (2012 | 163 KB | )
  
• Different Birth Families of Adopted Siblings
  by Pam Hutsell (1994 | 110 KB | )
  
• Different IS Normal
  by JilChristina Vest (2008 | 331 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner - Building Racial Identity Strategies and Practical Suggestions
  by Beth Hall (1996 | 108 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner - Seeking Solutions
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1992 | 105 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: INSPIRATION -- in Capital Letters, Visiting Historically Black Colleges
  by Beth Hall (2008 | 120 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Naming NATE
  by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg (2009 | 572 KB | )
  
• Family Resemblance in Transracial Adoption
  by Jana Wolff (1998 | 329 KB | )
  
• Family Stories: Black Enough To Be Your Mother? Too White To Be Your Mother? Becoming Seneca's Mothers!
  by Pact (2009 | 147 KB | )
  
• Family Stories: I Wish I Could Stay At Pact Camp Forever
  by Martha Rynberg (2007 | 136 KB | )
  
• Globe Is Our Village
  Author Unknown (1998 | 90 KB | )
  
• Helping Your Child Develop A Positive Racial/Ethnic Identity
  by Jeannie Lin (2000 | 57 KB | )
  
• Hispanic Attitudes Toward Adoption
  by Irma D. Herrera (1992 | 98 KB | )
  
• I Want You... To End Racism
  by Hazel White (2009 | 322 KB | )
  
• If The Shoe Doesn’t Fit
  by Gail Steinberg (1995 | 131 KB | )
  
• If You’re Color Blind, How Do You See Me?
  by Kevin Hofmann (2012 | 101 KB | )
  
• Issues for Asians in America
  by Katherine Kam (1992 | 92 KB | )
  
• Jigsaw Puzzle: Adopted Children of Color
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1992 | 118 KB | )
  
• Latino and Asian Children in White Homes
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1995 | 116 KB | )
  
• Loss of Innocence
  by Becca Martinson (1995 | 95 KB | )
  
• Mathilde’s Awakening . . . And Mine too.
  by Marie Claude Provencher (2008 | 118 KB | )
  
• Mia’s Art: What I Learned From My Daughter’s Self Portrait
  by Elise Crum (2010 | 101 KB | )
  
• Mongolian Spots
  by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg (2000 | 326 KB | )
  
• Multicultural Education
  by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg (2001 | 125 KB | )
  
• My School
  by Fatima Goss (1998 | 93 KB | )
  
• Never
  by Ellwyn Kauffman (2010 | 304 KB | )
  
• Non-Adopted Siblings of Adoptees
  by Beth Hall (2012 | 97 KB | )
  
• Not Just "White Parents with Kids of Color" - The Importance of Racial Identity Work for Parents
  by Gina Miranda Samuels, Ph.D., MSSW (2012 | 129 KB | )
  
• On Being Biracial
  by Lynda Marin (1992 | 95 KB | )
  
• On Being Biracial
  by Lynda Marin (1992 | 95 KB | )
  
• One of Them
  by Kirstin Nelson (2004 | 88 KB | )
  
• Our International Adoption Packing List
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (2000 | 109 KB | )
  
• Pact’s Position on the Multi-Ethnic and Inter-Ethnic Placement Acts
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1997 | 117 KB | )
  
• Perspective From a Young Korean American
  by David Kim (1998 | 114 KB | )
  
• Perspectives on Transracial Adoption - Transracially Adopted Child’s Bill of Right
  by Liza Steinberg (2003 | 63 KB | )
  
• Prepare In Order To Protect
  by Beth Hall (2009 | 56 KB | )
  
• Quien Yo Soy? Identity Issues in Trans-ethnically Adopted Children
  by Beth Hall (1992 | 108 KB | )
  
• Quinceañera!
  by Veronica Maciel (2003 | 73 KB | )
  
• Racial Identity Formation
  by Pact (2007 | 64 KB | )
  
• Raising Kids Multiculturally
  by Ann Freeman (1994 | 107 KB | )
  
• Rethinking Fit in the Context of Transracial Adoption
  by Julia Sudbury Oparah (1998 | 60 KB | )
  
• Searching for Me
  by Lynne Connor (2008 | 114 KB | )
  
• SEED Project on Inclusion Curriculum: Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity
  by Peggy McIntosh and Emily Style (1998 | 341 KB | )
  
• Solidifying Multiracial Culture
  by Rebecca Bibbs (2005 | 103 KB | )
  
• Stopping Bias In Its Tracks
  by Laurie Olsen & Nina Mullen (1995 | 126 KB | )
  
• Supporting Transracial Families: Start From Where They Are
  by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall (1994 | 99 KB | )
  
• Talking to Young Children about Race and Racism
  by Joemy Ito-Gates & Wei Ming Dariotis (2006 | 107 KB | )
  
• Teaching Culture Understanding the Complexities
  by Lisa Marie Rollins (2007 | 104 KB | )
  
• Teaching for Diversity - The Preschool Setting
  by Eliana Elias (1995 | 114 KB | )
  
• Teen Corner: A Letter From My Heart
  by Melissa Cunningham (2010 | 327 KB | )
  
• Teen Corner: Dominique’s Journey
  by Dominique Parker (2005 | 94 KB | )
  
• Teen Corner: Making Sense of Living Transracially
  by Ryo and Jake (2010 | 53 KB | )
  
• Teen Corner: Psychological Heavy Lifting
  by Lilah Goldthwaite (2008 | 350 KB | )
  
• The Benefits of Pact Camp
  by John Raible (2009 | 132 KB | )
  
• The Book Worm: Mixed Race Literature
  by Michele Rabkin (2010 | 316 KB | )
  
• The Godparents Council
  by Michael-David Sasson and Kirsten Cross (2010 | 122 KB | )
  
• The Issue of Race for Private-School Students of Color
  by Sharon Cravanas Johns (1995 | 110 KB | )
  
• The Making of a Scholar
  by Vera Landry (2008 | 334 KB | )
  
• The Name Game
  by Jae Ran Kim (2007 | 327 KB | )
  
• The Savior Syndrome
  by Becca Martinson (1994 | 91 KB | )
  
• The Toddler of Color in Daycare
  by Joy Viveros (1994 | 117 KB | )
  
• Thinking About Culture Camp
  by Julie Randolph (2004 | 54 KB | )
  
• Transracial Adoption
  by Jim Mahoney (1992 | 323 KB | )
  
• Transracial Adoption - A Response to Jim Mahoney
  by Theresa Hughes (1992 | 108 KB | )
  
• Transracial Adoption of Mixed-Race Youth: A Diary of a Child’s Journey
  by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall (2002 | 121 KB | )
  
• Two Stories of Reunion
  A Review by Susan Ito (2011 | 122 KB | )
  
• Unpacking the Knapsack of White Privilege
  by Peggy McIntosh (1988 | 63 KB | )
  
• We Are Family
  by Marcia Burnell (1998 | 112 KB | )
  
• What Divides Us is What Connects Us
  by Robin D.G. Kelley (2012 | 132 KB | )
  Politics: The "Business"
• What Kind of Name is That?
  by T. Chedgszey Smith (1996 | 100 KB | )
  
• When Racism is Part of the Story
  by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg (1998 | 128 KB | )
  
• White Parents Identity
  by Deborah Haynor & Lori Miller (2006 | 121 KB | )
  
• Who Are The Real Parents - Revisiting Extended Family as a Support System for Children in Need of Adoption or Foster Care
  by O. Virginia Phillips (1995 | 111 KB | )
  
• Whoness - A Question of Identity
  by Nasoan Sheftel-Gomes (1995 | 104 KB | )
  

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