Hard-to-Place Black Children Find Homes : Mississippi Ministers Ask Congregations to Open Hearts to Adoption

The Rev. Robert West has a special plea for families in his flock. He wants them to make room in their hearts, and their homes, for some of the abused and abandoned black children of Mississippi.

“I want my families, some of them, at least, to become adoptive parents,” West says.

It’s a request the burly Baptist preacher makes from time to time in his role as spokesman for The Ministers For Adoption, a statewide group of black clergy brought together by his wife, Linda.

Linda West is adoption coordinator for the Mississippi Children’s Home Society, a nonprofit group that helps match Mississippi families with adoptable children from throughout the country.

Aid From Ministers

Since the ministers got involved two years ago, she said, they have helped her find homes for 12 of the 26 children her agency has placed in that time.

“This may not sound like a lot, but these are the kids hardest to place--black, male and school-age,” she said. “The ministers have been a tremendous help.”

She said she was searching for a more effective way to place such special-needs black children when she decided to seek help from her husband and his peers.

“I believe the black church is a very important resource for the black community,” she explained. “I decided the black church was a place where we could recruit the kind of families who would be willing to make a commitment.”

Neglected, Abused

Six black ministers initially joined the group. The number has since grown to 11.

“We looked for ministers serving two or more churches in lightly populated counties,” she said. “Many of these kids have been neglected and abused and some have problems; we felt that rural families wouldn’t have the same high expectations as would urban families.”

Several children had been adopted by families in his two congregations, among them two childless couples who each took four children so siblings could stay together.

Linda West said the 12 children adopted with the ministers’ help came from Mississippi orphanages and foster homes. “There are dozens of older black children available for adoption in Mississippi and more are becoming eligible all the time,” she said.

‘It’s Very Sad’

The Wests, themselves adoptive parents of a 10-year-old boy, said they see a steady stream of black children who need permanent homes.

“It’s very sad,” said Linda West.

“It’s relatively easy to find permanent homes for the infants, and especially for the white babies, but the older children are a problem,” her husband added. “I’m always on the lookout for families who have a lot of love to give to a child.”

Patty Jones of the state Welfare Department, with whom the Mississippi Children’s Home Society has a contract to find permanent placements for special-needs foster children, said Linda West had placed six children for the state in the last year.

Success Story

Four of these children went to one family. “They went to a couple at Carthage, Frank and Maggie LeFlore,” Linda West said. “This was our big success story of the year.”

She recalled that the LeFlores--he’s a construction worker and his wife sews in a clothing factory--originally had wanted to adopt an infant. They changed their minds after meeting the two brothers and two sisters, ages 4 to 10.

“They’ve been together for several months now and they’re making it fine,” she said on a visit to the LeFlores’ home 40 miles northeast of Jackson.

The LeFlores agreed. “Our family increased from two to six and it was a big adjustment at first,” Maggie LeFlore told a visitor. “But we’re all used to it now.”

Poor Is Poor

She grinned and added, “When people ask me how it has affected our budget, I just tell them I can’t see much difference; when you’re poor, you’re poor.”

The Wests beamed as they watched the children vie for space on the laps of their new parents.

“The LeFlores are entitled to a $140-a-month subsidy per child from the state, but they wouldn’t take it at first,” said Linda West. “They didn’t want the children to think they were adopting them for the money.

“You know,” she added, “this kind of work can get real depressing at times, especially during the holidays when you think about all the children that need permanent homes. But, then, something like that happens and makes it all worthwhile.”