Children of color still disproportionately waiting in Minnesota's child welfare system

St. Paul, Minn. (Dec. 10, 2002) - The African American Adoption Agency's (AAAA) efforts to raise public awareness were recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  AAAA was awarded a 2002 Adoption Excellence Award.  A local award ceremony will be hosted Tuesday, December 17 at 6 p.m.  The presentation will take place in the Minnesota Viking's Winter Park located at 9520 Viking Drive, Eden Prairie, and will run in conjunction with AAAA's 2002 Holiday Party for adoptive families.

AAAA's celebrity spokesperson Daunte Culpepper also received an award for outstanding philanthropy.  HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson wrote AAAA and Culpepper have "demonstrated through innovative efforts and deep commitment to children, that [the] vision for safe, stable homes for all children in foster care can become a reality."  AAAA and Culpepper were selected from among 70 nominees in six categories.

According to AAAA's executive director Marquita Stephens, "this award represents confirmation of our work to find loving, safe, permanent homes for waiting African American children.  Unfortunately, it also highlights the fact that our work is far from over."  AAAA has proven reducing the number of children of color waiting in temporary foster care can have long-term impacts on the state budget, socio-economic trends and the long-term future of all Minnesotans.

AAAA has been working for more than 13 years to address the over-representation of African American youth in the child welfare system.  African American children represent 5 percent of Minnesota's population under age 18, according to U.S. Census 2000 data.  At the same time, nearly 60 percent of the children waiting for permanent homes are children of color, according to Minnesota's Department of Human Services.

The agency's strategic recruitment efforts resulted in the adoption of more than 250 children from 1998 to 2001.  During this same period, AAAA led the state's other eight public and private agencies in recruitment and preparation of new families.  Through ongoing recruitment efforts, the agency takes a strategic approach to raising public awareness. Its newest efforts hinge on:

• Community Caring for its Children - AAAA has partnered with local African American churches and places of worship to reclaim children without permanent homes.  This faith initiative will be cooperatively led by local religious leaders and build on the resources of each spiritual community.
• General Community Outreach - AAAA is running commercial advertisements featuring celebrity spokesperson, Daunte Culpepper.  These ads, placed strategically in African American programming, have already increased the agency's adoption inquiry calls by at least 10 percent.
• Child-Specific Recruitment - The agency has launched aggressive new strategies to find homes specifically for those children who have waited the longest.  AAAA child-specific recruitment goes outside of traditional boundaries to consider teachers, coaches, relatives, foster parents, friend's parents and others as potential parents.

Individuals or families who are willing to take an active role in reducing the disparate number of children of color waiting for permanent, safe and loving families in the state of Minnesota can contact AAAA by calling 651.659.0460 or e-mailing afadopt@afadopt.org.

About AAAA
Formed in 1989, AAAA is Minnesota's first full-service, non-profit adoption organization designed to move children of color from the foster care system to permanent families.  The agency serves prospective foster and adoptive families birth families and waiting children.  Its services are grounded in a philosophy of inclusion and partnership - no family is denied access based on race, income, age, education or marital status.