Black Twitter went into overdrive after a post about white parents adopting Black children was shared by author Kyla Lacey.
Lacey shared several pictures of parents and their children with a caption noting her dislike for the parents turning the children into “social media stars.”
One of the pictures shared was from a couple named Steven and Ashley. The couple has a TikTok account with 2.1 million viewers and features videos of the couple and their adopted son, Abriel.
Another picture Lacey shared was from the Tiktok account @mommyandeilap, which features a woman named Amanda hugging her child Eila. Two more pictures are of adoptive mothers grooming their children’s natural hair.
One mother named Kendall captioned her post, “Why I don’t I take Zadie Ann to a salon?” Another mother named Amanda Plummer captioned a post of her doing her daughter’s hair with, “Just mama doing her best.”
Lacey took issue with the posts in a lengthy rant on Twitter.
“I don’t care what anyone says this s— t is highly exploitative,” she wrote. “Adopting kids and then making them social media stars should be criminal. Adopting Black kids and making them work…. Hmmmm where have I heard something similar…”
“Let me make this clear, I don’t have an issue with transracial adoption per se. My issue is the whitewashing of cultural specificities and values, and the exploitation of children for money. Adopt in peace. If you needed applause for being a good person you’re not a good person,” she continued.
Some users defended the mother of Zadie Ann and noted that she was trying to educate other moms about how to groom Black children’s natural hair.
“Zadie’s mom is not one of those,” replied one user. “Clearly you haven’t been following her for years to understand that she is the exact opposite of what you’re talking about.”
Another user wrote that taking Zadie Ann to a salon may be a good thing.
“Taking Zadie Ann to the salon would put her around her skinfolk and I bet mom isn’t comfy being the only non-Black person in the room,” she wrote.
Lacey went on to say that some of the responses she received took note that it seemed as if Zadie Ann’s mother “isn’t as bad” as the others and noted that she found the pictures by using the hashtag “#transracialadoption.”
“If she is creating awareness that’s absolutely awesome, but what is she creating awareness for? Is she advocating for Black children or is she saying why she doesn’t take her Black child to the salon?'” wrote Lacey.
After Twitter user Natasha Huckfield asked Lacey how many children she has adopted.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, there is a greater proportion of Black children in foster care than other races. Black children make up 22 percent of the total amount of children in foster care in the United States, despite only making up 14 percent of the total child population.
However, another user responded that critique shouldn’t be left up to those who are adopting.
“There are many reasons a person can’t/hasn’t/doesn’t adopt. That doesn’t change the reality of the white savior complex and how it is proven to be dangerous to the vulnerable groups they claim to be aiding/rescuing,” they wrote. “The critique of that can’t be left to adopters.”
