Ukraine Adoption, Eastern European Adoption - Disney, it is time for a beautiful black princess!

11/25/06

Disney, it is time for a beautiful black princess!

Posted by : Angela in Ukraine Adoption Blog at 10:12 am , 413 words, 103 views
Categories: Issues

Since Ukraine isn't accepting dossiers right now (they will be accepted in Jan 2007)...

and since Ukraine has draft legislation making single adoption illegal (who knows if it will really pass)....

and I want to adopt another child...

I have been exploring other options. I completed foster care training almost a year ago. I was told it would take 1 year to 3 years to never to be matched. So far I haven't been matched.

So I started researching Haiti adoption about 3 months ago. Because of this research I ran into a petition. And I thought it might be of interest to some folks.

Ukraine has a very homogonous population. Based on a 2001 census 77.8% of the population is Ukrainian and 17.3% are Russian.

Because a large majority of the population is white, transracial adoption isn't something that adoptive families associate with Ukraine. But it is an option. Families can adopt black, Korean and Roma children.

Part of the petition is below. 1,850 families have signed the petition. And their messages/signatures are worth reading for anyone who is interested in transracial adoption.

To: Disney

..............

Disney has become intertwined with childhood fantasies and imaginative play. This Halloween, I saw many little girls dressed up as their favorite Disney princess. Little girls love to pretend that they are a Disney princess. The princesses have become a symbol of femininity, grace and beauty.

...............

I too have a cute little girl. She is feminine, graceful and beautiful. But unfortunately, there is not a Disney princess for her to imagine being. Why? My daughter is black.

...............

What message is Disney sending to these impressionable little girls? Why has Disney chosen to ignore such a large American population (not to mention world population)? Almost every other major toy manufacturer in American now produces black dolls. Disney does not have one.

................

This petition is to ask Disney to stop excluding black characters from their princess line-up. The time has come for Disney to move into the 21st century and recognize that black is beautiful too.

................

Lets stop sending the message to our children that only light skin is feminine, graceful and beautiful. There are so many strong black queens and princesses in our past, that our little girls deserve to be included.

From: Disney, it is time for a beautiful black princess!

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Photo credit: The picture above is a composite that I created to represent children from Ukrainian orphanages. I have many photos of Ukrainian orphans, but I don’t have permission to post them.

5 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Jan Baker [Member]

· http://birthfamily-search.adoptionblogs.com/

I guess I do not get why we need to have a black princess. Maybe someone can explain it. Not that I have any objections, mind you. But, I guess I don't see what the deal is.

There are plenty of dolls of varying ethnic racial mixes, and I think that it is great. But, do we have to dictate that every doll maker produce a doll of every race? I mean is that overkill and getting carried away with being politically correct? Is that real life?

How about a biracial doll? Are there any of those? Wouldn't Jenna's daughter make an adorable princess doll?

Permalink 11/25/06 @ 11:37

Comment from: Angela [Member]

· http://ukraine.adoptionblogs.com/

According to the CIA's world fact book, the United States population is

white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% (2003 est.)

0-14 years: 20.4% (male 31,095,847/female 29,715,872)

It does seem odd that a company like Disney... who is driven by market pressure... Would avoid 13% of the potential market. This is 7,905,523 million children.

Actually Disney goes after this market share with some of their TV shows.

So maybe Disney decided that they couldn't make their money back with another Princess movie. With the purchase of Pixar, I will be curious to see which way their movies go.

Bratz dolls were introduced in 2001. They quickly kicked Barbie to the curb to become the most popular doll. Part of the appeal is the multi-ethnic looks and the clothing fashions.

But going back to your original question. Disney has a large market share. It would help millions of girls by providing a good role model.. a reason to believe they are beautiful.

Even within AfricanAmerican culture lighter skin is an issue. The lighter skinned you are the pretty you are. Here is a blog on this issue.

http://www.progressiveu.org/160000-light-skin-is-better-than-dark-hell-no

Permalink 11/25/06 @ 12:22

Comment from: Adrienne Bashista [Member]

· http://hoping.adoptionblogs.com/

Hey - in all the black princess discussion (which I agree is something I think most people would love to see) I read something about adopted from Haiti. So exciting! I've read a lot about it. It's really a great program. Good luck!

Permalink 11/25/06 @ 16:23

Comment from: MamaS [Member]

It isn't Disney, but the American Girl series has white, black, Hispanic, Indian, and I think several more have come out since my daughters outgrew dolls (and now have real babies of their own!) They are less "sexy" and come with historically accurate stories, clothing, and you can but matching clothing for your daughters.

Permalink 11/25/06 @ 19:11

Comment from: Angela [Member]

· http://ukraine.adoptionblogs.com/

Thanks...

I am just researching.... There are so few protections for adoptive families. So I take my time and research.

For Natasha's adoption, I researched for a year. And then the adoption took a year.

If I keep to this timetable hopefully I will adopt my second child in 2007.

Permalink 11/25/06 @ 21:18

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