Share Your Vision

I have experienced lively and contentious public debate engaging citizens of diverse experiences and many points of view both in Aspen, Colorado, where my parents' retired, and in auditing one or two classes at Tech.
I am learning to be a global citizen.
Our community is rich in cultural pluralism and in scholarly and research expertise, yet we rarely gather together--faculty, students, townspeople-- to learn from one another across neighborhoods and across disciplines.
I have a visiion of a series of Global Community forums that might build on the documentary-discussions of the Lyric, the community classes of the "Y," the conferences organized by the Science, Technology and Society program, the community theater dialogue program at Tech, the programs of the Multicultural office, the methods for discussion developed by the Society of Friends, and the community dialogue inspired by Citizens' First.
Perhaps at the Lyric. We could learn to come together and discover one another, community, and the passionate vitality of democracy.
We are Blacksburg, we are the world. Linda O'Brien

I'm happy to see of the planned cleanup day that will add to Blacksburg's downtown revitalization with your pilot program. However, I am deeply saddened and dismayed that you have chosen the term "Adopt A" for publicizing this event (Adopt a Block), and I'd like to explain why.

"Adopt a" programs are a major (and hurtful) sticking point for those of us in the adoption community, and we are always fighting the misuse of that term (I would like to believe that you didn't use it in a meanspirited way---not like others do). Here's my perspective on why I sincerely ask you to change the language.

"Adopt A" campaigns are not only hurtful to a large segment of the population, but they are outdated, inaccurate and uncreative. In addition, they provide very little information about the goals of your group or issues. Especially since National Adoption Month starts in a few weeks (November) , you should recognize adoption for what it is---a means of family building, not a marketing tool to get people to clean up streets or areas for civic pride.

"Adopt A" campaigns trade on the image of the poor, unwanted orphan in need of shelter and protection. They exploit children who were adopted, who can then become confused at the misuse of the term "adoption". Those of us who are adoptive parents and adoption activists believe that, in using a kind of "save the rejects" image, such programs trivialize a serious topic. Though these programs may seem innocuous to abstract thinking adults, children don't understand the abstraction, and such "adopt a" programs continue myths and misconceptions about this family building method to yet another generation of children. There is ample research to support this claim. No one involved in your program is adopting anything; they're going to go out and power clean, take tape off windows, and so on (NRV Current, Oct. 13, 2007, p. 4). That's not adoption. That's cleaning up and (in your terms) revitalizing. Please call it what it is.

Adoption is a process by which families are planned and formed. To trivialize it in a commercial way insults the birthparents, adoptive parents, and adoptees who have been personally touched by this process. We no longer find it acceptable to trivialize other minority groups in this society, as you know. The proliferation of "Adopt A" promotions has become about as demeaning to many of those personally touched by adoption as are hillbilly humor or Polack jokes to the minority groups they deride.

For the sake of children waiting for adoption, those who have already found their permanent families in adoption, and for all the Blacksburg families touched by adoption, I urge you to treat adoption in a dignified manner. Please change the name of your program. Other organizations have changed their campaigns to keep step with an increased awareness around adoption. I thought of several alternative names (and early on a Saturday morning) for attempts to get people to help in your clean up efforts: " Tidy the Town" or "Neaten the Neighborhoods" or "Dust off Downtown" or "Wipe off Weekend." There are many other "cutesy" and accurate names, rather than the hurtful, demeaning, and inaccurate term "Adopt A."

If you'd like to read more on how hurtful "Adopt A" campaigns can be, please go to http://www.perspectivespress.com/pjadopta.html for a discussion. Thanks for your consideration in changing the name of your program. It is extremely important to those of us touched by adoption, and I'd like to think that it's equally important to the town of Blacksburg.

Sincerely,

Beth M. Waggenspack
Adoptive mom of 2
Adoption advocate
and 25 year resident of Blacksburg