While adoption rates among the black community grow marginally, we still lag behind other racial groups when it comes to adopting children. Why? Adoption advocate Dee Blackie, who has conducted extensive research into the subject over the years, believes it’s got a lot to do with ancestral considerations. From a traditional perspective, families are guided and connected by their ancestors who help them understand who they are and it gives some people an uneasy feeling about who they are bringing into the fold when a person’s ancestry is unknown, as would be the case in an adoption,” she said.