This past weekend I listened to “Justice Talking”, an NPR show that usually deals with legal issues. This particular show was about problems with the foster care system in the U.S.
One of the brief interviews was of a Minnesota college student who’d been in fostercare.
According to the program notes:
Interview with a Former Foster Child
Host Margot Adler speaks with a former foster child who grew up in and aged out of the foster care system.
Theresa is 20 years old and she officially aged out of foster care when she turned 18. She lived with 4 different families during the 5 years she spent in foster care as a teenager. She is now in college and helps young people in foster care who are aging out of the system…she advises them on how to make the transition to living on their own.
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It turns out that the student was Chinese American and was placed with foster parents at around age 13. (Foster parents' races/ethnicities were not identified, but they didn’t seem to be Chinese. I'm sure you can guess what they might be in the state of Minnesota.)
She was told not to call back home after she went to college. Apparently, this is not uncommon. It causes problems for students who need a guardian to co-sign things like apartment rental agreements.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for the show to look into the issue of cross-racial foster care. When it comes to whites fostering Asians, the age and cultural orientation experiences of the adoptee would certainly be factors in the ease and success of the relationship (besides, many other things).
Makes you wonder about the Anna Mae situation in Memphis, where a Chinese infant or child was placed in foster care, and then adopted by a white family. And then the Chinese parents (also living in Memphis) wanted her back.
Anna Mae, presumably, wouldn’t experience a loss of parental support when she goes to college. On the other hand, when she is old enough to understand the legal battle over her, what will that do to her psychological well-being? Will she get counseling? I bet she’ll end up in therapy.