I was listening to WVON 1690 AM this past Friday night when the host, Kendall Moore, had a segment regarding Mitt Romney’s son’s adoption of a black baby. There were two major points that Kendall had problems with in regards to the adoption.
One was why so many whites are now adopting black children and can they successfully raise a black child? Secondly, the baby’s name being Kieran. Turns out, in Gaelic that name means “little dark one” or “dark skin.” As Kendall and his co-host ranted, joked and stereotyped Romney’s son for having given that name to the child, I was compelled to call into the radio show.
I said they sounded very immature and silly regarding the issue. First and foremost, we have an individual birthed by a white woman, raised by a white woman, then by her white parents, and for his formative years, all he had were white relatives, yet we celebrate him as the first black president. Second, if a name exists in a culture of people for whom the attribute doesn’t apply but it is one of the most popular names, what are the reasons for it? I had heard the term “black Irish” while growing up. Had he?
Kendall’s response was a very immature tirade over the radio because he didn’t have a sensible answer. And rather than allow me to respond, he hollered over the air and told me to “get off his radio show” and hung up. He no longer has to worry about me listening to his “talk radio for the next generation” because he is talking the exact same “mess” that has kept too many prior generations from advancing forward. There is nothing worse than an illogical argument with a baseless foundation.
Let’s start with white people adopting black children. Before one can condemn them for their actions, one must also look at the flip side of the equation — that is, in an era of multiple forms of birth control, how come we still have black children in the predicament of having to be put up for adoption? Kendall Moore did not even broach the issue of why black people aren’t adopting. To play the “race adoption card” and question whether white people can raise a black child when we celebrate as black a man who was raised in as white an environment as can ever exist, is the epitome of illogical thought processes.
So Kendall Moore, since you found it to be such a joke, I nominate you to tell every black child who is eligible to be adopted that if it is a white couple who wants to adopt them, you will laugh, make jokes and then tell the kid to remain in foster care. I’m sure that child, if he or she could, would respond, “Barack Obama turned out OK. Give me my white, red, brown or yellow family — now!”
And what about the reverse? Although not as common, there are white children adopted by black families. Ain’t so funny when someone questions whether black people can raise a white child. We did it as slaves and then later on as maids and all those white folks turned out OK. The truth is, when all is said and done, it is love that triumphs over all.
Next, I nominate Kendall Moore to stand in front of any child and tell them how their name, which refers to dark skin, is an insult. Because I know it may be hard for him to comprehend, but there is nothing wrong with “dark skin.” Nor is there anything wrong with names that have references to darkness. That is why we have children with different hues and skin tones who are named Ebony or Indigo and it is not an insult. If a black person demonizes any reference to dark skin, then they are guilty for propagating the stereotype. It is 2013 and the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” jokes are no longer funny or relevant.
Kendall Moore, your entire rant was about Mitt Romney even though it is his son who has adopted the child. You may not like Romney’s politics, but the baby doesn’t have anything to do with it. That baby has what thousands of other black children don’t — a place to call home and a married mom and dad!
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.
%u2015Martin Luther King Jr.
