Forget buying stock in IBM, Xerox, Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo. Don’t put your money into real estate and property. Don’t invest in currency and foreign markets. There is a gold mine that is bound to make people rich! It is the best kept secret. What goes well with a Gucci bag? What is more fashionable than Stiletto Hills, more popular than Rolex watches and soon to rise quicker in the market place than “Pet Rocks,” “Cabbage Patch kids,” “Tickle me Elmo,” and IPODS? Call all your friends, get your store fronts ready and start making your connections and partnerships in Africa! Forget the “Dot-com” boom of the early 90s. Invest in African Babies. Nothing will compare to the marketability of African Babies in the new Millennium!

There is a new trend among the rich and famous. It does not involve purchasing the latest Bentley or the latest mixed breed puppy. More and more Hollywood socialites are adopting children from Africa. I just have one question though…Why are they choosing children from Africa? Adoption is honorable and commendable and many more people should look into adoption, but what about the American children that are overlooked? Why are African babies such a “hot” commodity? What makes “rescuing” a child from the clutches of a Third World country more appealing than saving a child from the streets and systems of America? What is the motivation?

In the United States of America, there are approximately half a million children in foster care. Nearly 41% of the children in foster care, are at least the age of 11 and older. 20,000 children in America “age out” of foster care, meaning they turn 18 years old in the system. Not only do they “age out” of foster care, but they have been in the child welfare system on average for 7 years with 3 to 4 placements by this time. In addition, 40,000 children who are eligible for adoption remain unadopted every year in this country. (The above statistics were gathered from the Research & Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health at Portland State University)

According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Adoption and Foster Care Reporting and Analysis System), over 500,000 children were in foster care in 2005. Of those children, approximately 60,000 were 1 year old or younger. 311,000 children entered the foster care system in 2005 and only 287,000 children exited the system. What do these statistics show? There is a tremendous need for adoptions of American children, and on average there are over 60,000 to choose from if you want to adopt a baby. Most of the sources I researched also stated that the average adoption costs between $2,500 and $30,000+ to complete.

So, why are celebrities adopting African babies? I am not denouncing the importance of adoption from all countries, however, I am curious about the motivation. Is there a sincere desire to adopt children from Africa, or does it give celebrities a “world stage” to appear less superficial than they are? Is it simply a trend? Who is going to look out for the millions of American children that “fall through the cracks?” Some people choose foreign adoptions because the cost is lower. This is not a problem for rich celebrities. Maybe they want a baby of a particular race? If this is the case, nearly 35% of children in the system are African American in the United States.

What is the motivation of celebrities? Why are they choosing to adopt children from Africa, despite the startling statistics in America? If this trend continues to take effect, I wonder how the thousands of multiracial, forgotten, deserving children in America are going to begin to feel…when they realize they are slowly becoming victims of trends and possibly celebrity vanity. What is the motivation? It is kinda like having concerts all over the world to raise awareness about poverty in Africa, when all the celebrities involved in the concert could ban together and purchase the continent. What is the motivation? Why are Africa babies being treated like the latest trend? You better hurry and purchase a tribe while supplies last!