由安托瓦內特 · 科克漢姆（首席運營官）寫
今個月我哋慶祝黑人歷史月，我發現自己抽咗時間去反思非洲裔美國人嘅收養歷史， Spence-Chapin 喺呢段歷史入面所扮演嘅角色，同埋我喺 25 歲以上嘅收養生涯中見證咗好多令人鼓舞嘅變化。.
喺25年前，我啱啱讀完社工學校，並且將兒童福利視為我嘅熱誠。我意識到，要喺我同家庭嘅工作中有效，我需要一個有強烈價值觀嘅組織嘅支持：誠信、互相尊重、多元化、創意、機會。.
Spence-Chapin had built a firm foundation that I could appreciate. A non-profit, nonsectarian New York City organization that had placed almost 18,000 children with permanent families by the time I arrived. In the early 1900s, the founders, Clara Spence and Alice Chapin, independently established nurseries for homeless infants left in hospitals and shelters, then placed those infants into permanent adoptive homes. They were women who cared and worked on behalf of children and families. Just happens that those families were white. The two organizations merged into The Spence-Chapin Adoption Service then incorporated in 1946 and immediately began developing a program to find homes for black children. I could get behind that kind of vision.
Spence-Chapin’s Board of Directors recommended that a student from the New York School of Social Work study the need for adoption “among the black population” and do research in Harlem. This student arranged a meeting with 格拉迪斯 · 蘭道夫女士，, 哈勒姆醫院嘅社會工作主任，同埋知道咗醫院入面有18個嬰兒，佢哋每日都同至少33個唔同嘅人互動，而且佢哋就快到第二個生日 喺醫院.
The Spence-Chapin Board studied these findings and launched the African American Adoption Program shortly thereafter in October of 1946. By early 1947, two black children were placed with black families. By 1948, the agency had hired a black social worker to find boarding homes and to distribute information in Harlem to let people know that Spence-Chapin was a new resource for children.
經過更多嘅研究，我發現咗更多著名嘅黑人領袖，當中好多都係女性，佢哋對斯彭斯 - 查賓嘅發展有貢獻。. 休伯特 · 德拉尼, brother of the famous Delaney sisters (“Having Our Say – The Delaney Sisters’ First 100 Years”), 1950年當選為斯彭斯 - 查潘董事會成員. At a major conference on social services, Mr. Delaney said: “Spence-Chapin is moving forward in this service [adoption] which is leveling racial barriers and making a genuine contribution to our democratic way of life.”
喺1951年，, 雷切爾（杰基太太）羅賓遜 was recruited to Spence-Chapin’s “Committee to Develop Adoption Resources” also known as the “Home Finding Committee”.
佢同太太短暫共同主持委員會。. 埃莉諾 · 羅斯福, ，並喺1953年當選為斯彭斯 - 查賓董事會成員。.
我可以模仿嘅其他女性喺1950年代支持過斯彭斯 - 查賓嘅黑人家庭招募工作，包括 休伯特 · 德拉尼太太；拉爾夫 · 邦奇太太, ，政治家、活動家、1950年諾貝爾和平獎得主嘅妻子；同埋著名嘅非洲裔美國女低音，, 馬里安 · 安德森女士。. 安德森女士以佢驚人嘅聲音而聞名全世界，亦都係羅斯福夫婦喺1939年喺林肯紀念館為佢組織演出嘅女人，因為美國革命之女拒絕畀佢喺一個綜合觀眾面前唱歌。. 珍 · 愛德華茲太太, ，一個黑人社工同成功嘅計劃經理，係 1967年至1990年期間擔任史賓莎 - 查賓執行董事.
喺 1968年，斯彭斯 - 查平創立咗哈林道林, a branch of the organization that would be situated in Harlem and staffed by residents of Harlem. The annual report of that year states: “We believe that by backing this branch with our name, reputation, resources and technical knowledge, we can help the new agency gain full momentum more quickly than if it started on its own. We intend to help the community create an independent, self-supporting agency serving its own needs.” The two agencies parted ways in the late 1980’s when Harlem-Dowling decided to expand its foster care services, and Spence-Chapin chose to end its foster care programs in order to focus on adoption.
喺1990年代，聯邦多族裔安置法案（ MEPA ）主導咗收養做法。 MEPA 宣布，種族、膚色同/或國籍唔可以用嚟延遲（或者拒絕）任何兒童被安置喺一個家庭，並要求應用「勤奮努力」去擴大種族同族裔多元化（寄養）同養父母嘅人數。再講，斯彭斯 - 查平透過加強佢嘅計劃去招募同支持黑人收養家庭嚟行動。.
斯彭斯 - 查平 請咗個有經驗嘅黑媒體專家同埋 創立咗一個義工黑人養父母組織，叫做非洲裔美國人父母顧問委員會（ AAPAC ）. AAPAC advised Spence-Chapin on matters concerning African-American adoption policies, practices, recruitment, and raised money to defray adoption costs for potential adoptive families. Between 1993 and 2011, AAPAC raised $277,000 and helped 135 children to join their families.
I was hired during this period (in October of 1992) and quickly moved through various roles as African American Adoption Program caseworker, supervisor, manager, adoptive family recruitment coordinator, associate director then director of the Domestic Adoption Program, and now Executive Vice President of External Relations and Family Services. Throughout the years, I recruited adoptive families, designed efficient internal systems, trained social workers, and created new programs such as The Adoptive Fathers Support Group through which fathers from the African-American Adoption Program supported other men throughout the adoption process. They taught new fathers about the joys and challenges of fatherhood, and mentored them on how to raise black, adopted children to have healthy self-esteem. The fathers’ support group also helped to produce a video in which they discussed their real-life adoption stories, described how they had decided to adopt, how they tell their children the stories of their adoptions, and how they talk about adoption to friends and family.
My efforts to recruit black adoptive families included outreach to black churches, black sororities & fraternities, professional associations and community organizations. I managed the media-focused outreach program with Spence-Chapin Communications Department, and broadcast adoption to black families via the internet, and the media including KISS-FM, POWER 105-FM, WLIB-AM, WLIW-TV, AM New York, Harlem Parent Magazine, Black and Latino social work newsletters, Google, Yahoo, the Spence-Chapin Facebook page and website. Scores of families were created during that time, many of whom continue to be connected to Spence-Chapin and its programs to this day. Today, working in collaboration with the innovative development, marketing and outreach departments at Spence-Chapin, I continue to reach out to families through television interviews (“Here and Now” (ABC TV), 112BK (BRIC TV), Brooklyn Savvy), panel discussions (“The Wickedest Woman” theatrical production), by moderating adoption related seminars, representing adoption interests at community events (WOW at the Apollo Theater, Harlem Chamber of Commerce), with foundations and other donors. Those who may benefit from Spence-Chapin’s adoption, family coaching, and support services must know that they exist.
領養已經進化咗四分一世紀。佢變得更加包容、更加多元化、更加易入手。但係總有工作要做，我好自豪可以同一個繼續相信同活出呢個努力嘅組織一齊，成為一個推動力量嘅一部分，確保我哋繼續向前行，為需要佢哋嘅小朋友搵到愛同永久。.
