Adapted by Liza Steinberg Triggs from ‘A Bill of Rights for Mixed Folks’ by Marilyn Dramé
-Every child is entitled to love and full membership in her family.
-Every child is entitled to have his culture embraced and valued.
-Every child is entitled to parents who know that this is a race conscious society.
-Every child is entitled to parents who know that she will experience life differently than they do.
-Every child is entitled to parents who are not looking to “save” him or to improve the world.
-Every child is entitled to parents who know that being in a family doesn’t depend on “matching.”
-Every child is entitled to parents who know that transracial adoption changes the family forever.
-Every child is entitled to be accepted by extended family members.
-Every child is entitled to parents who know that, if they are white, they benefit from racism.
-Every child is entitled to parents who know that they can’t transmit the child’s birth culture if it is not their own.
-Every child is entitled to have items at home that are made for and by people of his race.
-Every child is entitled to opportunities to make friends with people of her race or ethnicity.
-Every child is entitled to daily opportunities of positive experiences with his birth culture.
-Every child is entitled to build racial pride within her own home, school, and neighbourhood.
-Every child is entitled to have many opportunities to connect with adults of the child’s race.
-Every child is entitled to parents who accept, understand and empathize with her culture.
-Every child is entitled to learn survival, problem-solving, and coping skills in a context of racial pride.
-Every child is entitled to take pride in the development of a dual identity and a multicultural/multiracial perspective on life.
-Every child is entitled to find his multiculturalism to be an asset and to conclude, “I’ve got the best of both worlds.”