By Alysa Obert
At Beacon Christian Academy Marvin Wernsing is hard to miss. His popularity rivals the Jonas Brothers thanks to social skills, and athletic ability. His parents are well to do, white, intellectuals who love him very much. Marvin is Guatemalan. Brittany Fraser is a classically trained ballet dancer from the inner city. When she is not on point, she is breaking a sweat dancing hip-hop. Fraser is a white female who was adopted into an African American family. International/Transracial adoptions are increasing. While only 15% of adoptions fit in this category in 1993, the U.S. Department of State shows that in a decade they have more than doubled. A look at this trend in the Gordon college community reveals the joys and challenges facing international/transracial families. Dr. Dorothy Boorse, professor of biology at Gordon, and her husband adopted Marvin when he was four years old. Their biological son Galahad was at first hesitant for another sibling. “We had always wanted to adopt,” explained Boorse, “and we knew it would be good for Gally to have a brother.” When it comes to having a biological child and a child of a different race, differences are hard to ignore, so Boorse and her husband don’t. “We paint them [the differences] as positives” said Boorse, “Marvin even says he wished more people had brown skin so that they wouldn’t get burned in the sun.” Marvin’s adjustment was relatively easy, but Boorse reminds herself of everything he has had to give up. “He literally gave up everything his language and everyone he ever knew to come here,” said Boorse. Foreseeing the difficult transition Boorse and her husband were proactive. They kept his name and Boorse learned Spanish. The name on his birth certificate reads Marvin Calentros Orantes Boorse-Wernsing. Marvin’s future will be as complex as his name as he strives to figure out where his Guatemalan roots begin and where his American roots end. Brittany Fraser, a sophomore deciding major, ’13 has experienced much of what Marvin will encounter. Fraser, a white female, was adopted into an African American family at a young age. Her older brother Jacob is also adopted but her younger sister Bethany is biological. “My parents made sure to celebrate our differences; Jacob is good at sports, I am better at school, and Bethany is the best dancer,” said Fraser. “But, there are more obvious differences like being white,” she said. Fraser explained the frustration that few could relate to her admittedly different situation. “So many people think that racism doesn’t exist any longer,” said Fraser. “But I walk down the street with my dad and women move their bags to the other side of their bodies.” While Fraser believes that the reaction is subconscious, such behaviors are recurrent. Fraser also explained the hardship her parents had sympathizing with the struggles a white woman faces in a black community. “When somebody calls a black person ‘nigger’ the whole community is behind them,” said Fraser. “When people called me ‘white nigger’ it was like, well you don’t have it as hard as we do.” But for all of the hard moments, Fraser would not change a thing. Her experience has allowed her to be a part of a new culture and given her sensitivity to others who feel outcast. “I have never experienced anything like rich white suburbia,” said Fraser. She explained that her community at home was very communal as opposed to the individual mentality of many peers. Still she is eager to learn and to grow, “I just need to remember that confirmation of who I am comes from letting me be the one who defines that,” she said. “For kids like me and Marvin,” said Fraser, “the key to survival is learning to not only accept the elephant in the room, but to love it.” |
