Vietnamese Adoptions Transform Society
The adoption of Vietnamese children by Americans helps to create a healthier climate of acceptance.
International adoption has positive effects that no one acknowledges. It changes human dynamics... Adoptive families care about their culture, and bring that into society. Children adopted internationally change views of race and culture by their existence and their interactions.
The US has been formed by immigration, and it is still happening today. This is how the fabric of our culture was woven. It is not trouble free, and not all immigrations have been voluntary, but it is extraordinary as a matter of social history. For people to embrace another culture and race in their own - the integration of immigrants in America has been unprecedented in human history. Even more unusual in the case of international adoption is that the children are making the change, not just the adults. This is something that historians and demographers pay virtually no attention.
Although we talk about the Vietnam community in LA, etc., we don’t mention that we also have whole communities of adopted Vietnamese children in this country that are making a difference to our society. In turn, American immigrants also benefit as international adoption and adoptive families create an acceptance of other cultures in American society.
The adoption of Vietnamese children by Americans helps to create a healthier climate of acceptance between our two countries, as well. It gives Americans a more human and less historical view of Vietnam; Vietnamese officials know their children are here in America and that they are cared for. The melting of our two cultures through international adoption helps to create an easier climate for the relations between the US and Vietnam to warm up again. All these things have a profound effect on our culture. These are great examples of how the “adoption revolution” discussed in my book, Adoption Nation, is transforming America.
More examples of Chao Ban Vietnam Adoption Newsletter articles