While talking about this project I've noticed that most people don’t talk about race, especially if they are white. From my discussions with all of the adoptees I’ve interviewed, race becomes more important that culture in so many cases. When a Chinese adoptee is a young child and is out with their white parents everyone who sees them knows what the situation is. But when those children grow up and are away from their school and community, who are they? Do people know they were adopted and grew up in a white family? Do strangers know that they speak perfect English and are as American as they are?

It gets confusing. Race becomes a feature that can be defining until people get to know you. It works the other way also. When I was in China of course many people there just assumed I was culturally Chinese as well as racially. That meant that I should speak the language and know all the social conventions. Then they would find out I was American. But I wasn’t white, so was I really American? One of the adoptees I interviewed tried to get a job teaching English in China. But did she really speak American English well enough to get a teaching job there, when parents of school kids wanted a ‘real’ American to be the teacher?

Racism and stereotypes take many forms. What it comes down to is people making assumptions and judgements based on superficial characteristics, which might have nothing to do with a person's history, education or values.