Totally agree with this!— also— I am a white adoptive mom to a black child. We previously had a white pediatrician and my son was having lots of skin issues and his hair was very dry. He had light colored splotches on his skin, and eczema and the white ped we had was always gracious and suggested a few different lotions and creams but nothing seemed to work very well.... WELLLLL this Mama looked around and found her son a black pediatrician and the first time we went there she was SO gracious and spent like 30 minutes with me answering all my questions about how to help his skin clear up and how to keep his hair moisturized etc. Within less than a week his face was already clearing up and I felt more confident in my ability to care for him. We have lots of black friends and people in our community who have always been nothing but loving and supportive... long story short— I chose a pediatrician for my son based on the color of her skin and I would do it a million times over because she can relate to and help my son in a way I cannot.
On a side note- I just want to say thank you to all of the black people out there who see white adoptive parents and are so warm and friendly and willing to help. I’ll never forget the first time I went to the store (after doing all my “online” research and talking to a few friends) to look go for some hair products for my son... I couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for and probably looked like a lost puppy. The sweetest 16 year old boy was in the same isle as me and goes “Ma’am are you looking for stuff for your son’s hair?”.... to which I responded “yes, but I’m a little lost” and the boy stayed there with me for probably 15 minutes going through all the products his mom uses for his little siblings and exactly how to use them. I will never forget that boy and the kindness he showed me that day in helping me along when I felt very weak and unsure how to best care for my son.
I could go on and on about how many wonderful people of color have come along side my family and loved us for who we are and helped us in any way they could. I get teary eyes just thinking about it. So thank you to all those who have ever offered help or advice. I know I wouldn’t be the mom I am for my son today if it weren’t for the generosity and love of others!