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For some Vermont parents, racial differences hit close to home

Mother and baby hold hands.
tiedejul/Getty Images/iStockphoto
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iStockphoto
This hour, we talk about transracial adoptions in Vermont.

Live call-in discussion: Parenting is hard, regardless of one's background. But what happens when white Vermonters decide to adopt a Black child, without the lived experience of being Black in a majority white state? This hour, we talk with an adoption specialist about how the thinking behind being "color blind" has changed over the years. We'll hear from a white couple about the implicit and explicit biases they face raising Black children. We'll also hear from a white mother and black daughter who are learning about Blackness and what it means to see and appreciate diversity.

Our guests are:

  • Kate Van Wagner, options coordinator at Lund
  • Jessica and Ben Edgerly Walsh, parents
  • Tese and Maddy Ziminsky, mother and daughter

Broadcast live on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at noon. Rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vermontedition.

Connor Cyrus was co-host and senior producer of Vermont Edition from 2021-2023.
Tedra joined Vermont Public as a producer for Vermont Edition in January 2022 and now serves as the Managing Editor and Senior Producer. Before moving to Vermont, she was a journalist in New York City for 20 years. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.