Our Focus on African American and Transracial Adoption

Mardie Caldwell, the founder of Lifetime Adoption, has a heart and a passion for specifically helping African American pregnant mothers know that their babies are loved and wanted as they consider adoption.

Many years ago, when she was starting her work in adoption, as she spoke to pregnant black women, they would worry that no one would want their babies. The more she learned, the more she understood that there is still a myth that “no one wants black babies.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, transracial adoption, and the education around it, is just one more way that a baby can find a loving home.

The challenge is that often African American birth mothers are hoping for a family that will look like their baby, where at least one parent is black or bi-racial. And with modern, open adoption, women have the right to make those choices and request a family of specific racial make-up. However back then, there were very few to choose from.

Around 2003, Lifetime Adoption started the African American Enrichment Program. This program specifically reached out to the African American community through church outreach and other programs to share the need that women are wanting racially diverse adoptive parents for their children. Grant funding was secured to assist families who may not have the financial resources to cover all the costs of private adoption. And from that beginning, Lifetime Adoption’s African American Enrichment Program has grown to be the leader in black and bi-racial adoption.

This is a passion project for Ms. Caldwell, who recognizes that African American babies are aborted at a higher rate than babies of other racial make-ups. “I know that God loves every baby, regardless of skin color, and He has a plan for him or her,” she says. “No baby is truly unwanted; no baby is unadoptable. And I want these mothers to know that open adoption is a loving choice, and parents are ready to love both them and their babies. They don’t have to abort their babies.”

Modern adoption provides pregnant women (and those wishing to place a young child for adoption) the opportunity to choose a family and get to know them before they decide if adoption is the right choice for them. Women can even speak to more than one family if they wish.
“As more pregnant African American women learn that there are black and bi-racial adoptive parents available, it is my hope that we will see more babies placed for adoption than aborted,” Ms. Caldwell says.

If you are looking to adopt, please take the first step by completing our free application online.

If you are pregnant or wanting to place a child for adoption, you can call, text, or start your adoption plan now.