Open Adoption
Learn about open adoption and the different types of openness.
THE PLACEMENT OF A CHILD WITH A FAMILY OF A DIFFERENT RACE OR
ETHNICITY
Transracial Adoption: Talking About Race, Identity, Culture, and Connection
Some children come home and look exactly like their parents. Some do not.
Heart to Heart Adoptions has supported transracial families for more than 25 years.
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- Text: 844-522-7700
What transracial adoption actually means
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Transracial adoption refers to any adoption in which the child and the adoptive family are of different racial or ethnic backgrounds. In domestic infant adoption in the United States, this most commonly involves white families adopting Black or biracial children, though it encompasses many combinations.
It is legal, it is practiced widely, and it is supported by research as beneficial for children. Adoptive parents, however, need to recognize that outcomes for children in transracial adoptive families are distinctly different depending on how those families approach race.
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What the research says
Studies consistently show transracially adopted children can thrive under the right conditions.
Children in transracial families can thrive
Secure attachments, academic achievement, and healthy self-esteem — when families take racial identity seriously and engage actively with their child’s heritage.
Race-neutral environments carry real risk
Children raised without a meaningful connection to their racial heritage often struggle with identity in adolescence. This can include depression, disconnection, and not belonging anywhere.
Love is necessary but people need more
Everything you share with us is private and handled with respect and care.
Where you live is a parenting decision
Your child needs to see people who look like them living full, ordinary lives. They need to see people who look like them in the neighborhood, in the school, and as friends. You will have to make this happen.
Is this right for your family?
Talk with our teamFor adoptive families
Are you ready to raise a child whose racial identity you cannot share by instinct alone? Readiness requires more than love and good intentions.
For birth mothers
You have the right to ask hard questions about how your child's racial and cultural identity will be honored by any family you consider.
Already parenting
The families who do this well made race a normal topic early and stayed curious long past the point where curiosity was comfortable.
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“When our little Black daughter was handed to us, I held her tight and knew our love would protect her from any racial bias or pain. I was living in a delusional dream world.”
— Heart to Heart adoptive parent
Last Reviewed: June 18, 2026
FAQ - Simple
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 and the Interethnic Adoption Provisions of 1996 prohibit agencies receiving federal funding from denying or delaying placements on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
Research shows they can develop strong, healthy identities — but outcomes are significantly shaped by how intentionally families engage with race and cultural heritage. Children in families that actively nurture racial identity fare measurably better.
MEPA, amended by the Interethnic Adoption Provisions, requires agencies receiving federal funding to make diligent recruitment efforts reflecting the racial/ethnic diversity of children in the system, while prohibiting race as the sole basis for denying a placement.
Mandatory pre-adoption training on racial identity development, experience with transracial families, honest conversations about community and readiness, and respect for the birth mother’s role in cultural identity. If an agency makes it sound simple, look elsewhere.
Ask directly about their community, neighborhood, church, social circle, what they have read, and what training they have done. Families who have done the work will have specific answers. Generalities are a warning sign.
Families that engage with diverse populations and are race and culturally aware have children who fare much better.
You don't have to do this alone.
We're here to walk beside you—every step of the way.