Korean Adoptees Struggle with Identity

A Facebook Friend, Grace, sent this article to me, and I felt enlightened! It's posted from the NY Times:

Basically, it says there is a new study that shows that first generation Korean adoptees (like me) considered themselves WHITE (as kids)! 78%, in fact.

However, it also showed that 60% said their racial identity became important by the time they were in middle school. As adults, nearly 61% traveled to Korea to learn about their culture and to find their birth parents. (Wow!)

It also goes on to say that most adoptees were raised in predominantly white neighborhoods and saw few, if any, people who looked like them. The report also found that the children were teased and experienced racial discrimination, often from teachers. And only a minority of the respondents said they felt welcomed by members of their own ethnic group.

(Insert: HOLY BEJEEZUS! I was the only Korean-looking child in my school! Some kid threw a box of rice at me! I have tons of nasty teacher stories! Mom, remember?... and yes, Korean-American students told me I was "too white"in college!)

As a result, many of them have had trouble coming to terms with their racial and ethnic identities.

The report was issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a nonprofit adoption research and policy group based in New York.