Madonna Cast an Ugly Glare on Africa's Orphan Tragedy

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, the author of this article, talks about the problems of black children adoptions. He shows as an example the adoption of David Banda by Madonna. In his opinion, there were two reasons why some people protested against it. One is that people thought that Madonna gave bribes to speed up the adoption process and used her celebrity status, and that it is just another fad of a star. He proves that neither is true because Madonna "observed the rules" and "hardly needs to snatch an African child to grab some camera action". The second reason is hidden. Some believe that a black child raised by a white family is going to lose his or her black identity and learn white values. This is false because a child matures into "an emotionally secure adult" in "a loving, nurturing, and financially stable home", and this does not depend on the race of the parents. There is no way black children will forget their identity because the society always reminds them who they are. Hutchinson concludes that "Madonna deserves props, not jeers". Generally, this article presents some good support and clearly demonstrates the author's position.