Madonna Wants to Adopt Second Malawian Child, Trial with Alleged Father

Should White Parents Adopt Black Children?

Multi-Grammy award winning singer, Madonna, is in the middle of a trial to adopt a second Malawian child. Last year, she adopted a Malawian boy named David and wants to have a Malawian daughter by the name of Chifundo Mercy James. Raising Malawi, Madonna's charity, "feeds, educates and provides medical care for some of Malawi's more than one million orphans, half of whom have lost parents to AIDS," according to an AP article.

Unfortunately for her, the alleged father (James Kambewa) of Chifundo isn't having it. James' mother died at 14 and James was placed into an orphanage. She is now three years old and Kambewa admits that he's never seen Chifundo in person, but he wants her to be raised Malawian and wants custody of her.

While I do understand why a parent would want his or her child to be raised in the culture to which she was born into, I'm skeptical of why this child is suddenly so wanted by Kambewa when there didn't appear to be interest before. Three years is a long time not to see your own flesh and blood.

I've seen on various forums people who aren't big on the idea of white parents raising Black children, especially African children. Their lack of acceptance on the topic is for two reasons: they don't understand why would someone go all the way to another continent to adopt a Black child and they don't feel like a white parent could (or would) raise a Black child to understand his or her culture.