October 21, 1999

I would like to correct the information written by the BN Quarterly staff at the end of my poem, "A Rain of Tears." I was not institutionalized by my parents for daring to become pregnant by an Afican-American man. I was incarcerated at Lakeview, a locked "home" for unwed mothers run by Louise Wise Services, a NY adoption agency, and later brought to trial and adjudicated a juvenile delinquent. This was facilitated by the adoption agency staff and the Jewish Board of Guardians, a sectarian agency with legal status under the laws of NY, who were in agreement with my parents. They were trying to obtain a court-ordered commitment to a mental institution for the purpose of terminating my parental rights, which were effectively already terminated by the adjudication. If I agreed to sign surrender papers, the case would never have gone to court.

I was offered surrender papers at the courthouse door by Amy Kubie, a staff member for the JBG, with the assurance I would not have to face a trial if I signed. I refused. I was prosecuted because I refused to either submit to an abortion or surrender my child. This is what was requested of me. Neither the psychiatrist hired by my parents nor the Lakeview psychiatrist would assist by signing commitment papers, and the case had been brought to the attention of the Bureau of Child Welfare. The BCW ordered LWS not to press for commitment, although they, too, requested surrender of the child, my son Marcus, giving the official reason as "the code #10 parent" requests it. This referred to my parents. I was ordered to receive psychiatric treatment as an outpatient by a consultant who worked with LWS, and was placed on probation at the disposition, where the judge was Justine Wise Polier, president of the adoption agency and also on the staff of the JBG. It appears that the probation officer was also working for one of the involved agencies, as her name is not listed as a NYC probation officer for a period during which she regularly saw and tormented me at our bimonthly meetings in the courthouse.

When I was nearly 18 and my probation due to end, this "officer" asked about my plans. At that time I had my own apartment and earned enough to employ a baby-sitter. When I told her I would take my son home, she said she had the authority to extend my probation until the age of 21, and that is what she was doing, and I would not get my son back.

The big issue for my parents and the agencies was race. By participating in a de facto miscegenation trial, all parties showed prior intent to deprive me and my son of our civil and Contsitutional rights. My son was born Nov. 28, 1959. My trial began on Dec. 10th 1959. My son was placed in an "adoption unit", whatever that means, shortly after birth. His father and paternal grandparents pleaded to be allowed to take him into their home, and were refused. There was no consideration at any time for "the best interests of the child", which was considered standard paractice on paper.

In 1966, Viola Bernard, chief psychiatrist for LWS, wrote that the non-kinship adoption rate for black (a category including biracial children) was 6%. Kinship adoption was discouraged in cases like mine, as it violated social mores and offended the white side of the family. It would have been impossible to prevent white mothers from maintaining a connection to their children if the child was permitted to live with the paternal family. My son was in fact adopted. The adoptive mother was Superintendent of Children's Institutions for the City of NY at the time. Her husband was involved in theatre and Republican politics. His sister said the adoptive mother "found" my son in an institution. The BCW and LWS demanded money from me and my son's father to maintain him in foster care. I have not been able to find out where
he was during the period prior to adoption, although according to City documents I had sole custody!

My son died by his own hand at age 20. The adoption was a disaster. In the course of research, it became clear that there was nothing unique about this case, except for the fact that my son was adopted. The vast majority of biracial children remained in institutional care, where they failed to thrive, until they were put out on the streets of NY at age 16 or 17. They had no way of knowing who they were or why they were cruelly cast out. Where are these people now? Certainly not searching for their parents or involved in political action groups like BN. They are The Disappeared. The same goes for the many women who were prosecuted under the Wayward Minor Act or for delinquency due to underage, unmarried pregnancy. I have heard of only one other from a searching adoptee who learned of her mother's suicide.

I believe the treatment of these women and their children is one of the main reasons for the adamant insistence of adoption agencies and their supporters in maintaining sealed records. Violating the privacy of birthmothers! Slavery indeed.

R. Maya Lama

Dear Rosalind,

Thank you for the clarification.

All the best to you,

Damsel Plum

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