‘An older woman came up to me in Publix. ‘Wow, those boys are lucky to have been chosen by a white woman.’ I was shocked into silence.’: Foster mom to twins urges ‘we need to do better’

“I’ve spent months shocked into silence after hearing many untrue and hurtful stereotypes.

I remember the night I got my foster children B&B. I knew our life would look different to others. I knew there would be stares, but I don’t think I was fully prepared for the conversations and comments that would unfold in our future.

One evening, I was at the grocery store when I had a woman come up to me and say, ‘Oh, they must look like their daddy.’ She preceded to say, ‘Wow, those boys are lucky to have been chosen by a white woman.’

I didn’t even know how to respond. I was shocked into silence. I looked at her and walked away without replying to her statement.

The truth is, it struck a cord in me. Because, to an extent, she was right. In my foster class I found out there were families that wouldn’t accept a foster kid because the color of their skin. It angered me. The percentage of black children that get placed and adopted out of the foster care was an alarming low so hard for my heart to bear. So that comment the older lady in Publix said…was a reality that I once again had to be faced with.

That’s just one story.

I’ve had people tell me that if they go back to their birth parents, they will have no chance in this life. To have people speaking over B&B in that way was unacceptable to me.

I’ve spent the last 6 months praying, investing, and educating myself on how I can love the twins’ biological parents better. How I can help break their generational poverty and addiction that has been passed down in their family for many generations.

The majority of people are speaking against ‘those type of people’ because they don’t fully believe in change; they don’t believe in the hope that if they step out in faith and action, they can help change the history of two kids’ lives.

Those are just two stories. The sad truth is there are countless more. And more than I’ve just experienced.

‘Oh, they are going to be such good football players or basketball players!’

‘Oh, I bet their family is super ghetto.’

‘Black people are born in their DNA to be scared of dogs.’

‘Oh, look at their cute monkey feet.’

‘At least they are going to learn how to talk white.’

All these words should NOT be okay. They need to CHANGE.

WE CAN DO BETTER, BE BETTER.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Lauren Brooke of Jacksonville, Florida. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.

Read part one of Lauren’s story:

‘That night I cried in my driveway for a child. 10 minutes later, I got a call. ‘Can you take in 1-year old twin boys?’: 26-year-old single foster mom says ‘I was called for plans bigger than myself’

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