January 20, 2005

As part of Capital University’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Learning, the Law School sponsored a panel discussion investigating public policies about race and adoption.

The panel was moderated by Professor of Law Kent Markus, Director of the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital University Law School (NCALP), and included representatives who brought different viewpoints to the discussion.

Panelist Denise St. Clair, who is associate director of the NCALP, focused on broad historical and policy-oriented issues concerning race and adoption. Kimberly Toler, director of Adoption, Foster Care, and Assessment at Franklin County Children Services, concentrated her remarks on the process of recruiting parents and matching children with families, as well as the demographics of the children she generally handles and the services she provides to prospective parents. As a trans-racial adoptee, Jenifer Thompson, L’02, a staff attorney at the Law School’s Family Advocacy Clinic, brought a personal perspective on race in adoption.

Following the remarks, students asked questions ranging from practical details such as what kinds of training are available and the dynamics of birth order in adoptive families to broader questions such as what kind of recruitment techniques are used to align the racial demographics of the children with the racial demographics of the prospective parents.

The National Center for Adoption Law & Policy (NCALP) seeks to improve the law, policies, and practices associated with child protection and adoption systems. Their primary tools in this regard are education, advocacy, and research.