MOMS Connected

Cheri Tillman and Tonya Moore have formed a non-profit organization called MOMS (Mothers of Minority Siblings) Connected.

Cheryl (White) and Tonya (Black) are themselves, adoptive mothers of minority siblings. Cheryl has children from Asia and children who are African-American. Tonya has adopted two African-American children.

The mission of MOMS Connected is to provide information, training and products to help parents raise confident children of a race other than their own.

In a short time, their services have been of great help to a wide audience. Cheryl says, "While we started out believing that our audience would primarily be adoptive Caucasian parents of African American children, we have been asked to do just as much training for foster parents of both races and staff members of adoption and child care agencies."

"What we have found through our friendship and through our training experiences is just how little the races know about each other," Cheryl says.

MOMS Connected approaches training with open, honest communication and, because Tonya and Cheryl are comfortable with each other and can laugh at themselves, they have found it easy to get their audiences involved in open communication as well.

MOMS Connected aims to develop an adoption/foster care/kinship support group where White families with Black children can interract with and learn from Black families in such a way that both races and the children involved can learn from and about one another. Cheryl admits, "We haven't moved a whole lot or shaken a whole lot, but we're trying in our own little corner of the world to change the way the races look at each other and communicate with each other, especially in regard to raising children."

The compelling clarity of their vision and the value of such intervention is so significant however, (I myself have received several requests from parents seeking such resources) that I certainly believe this group is an up and coming mover and shaker!

July 2006, Tonya Moore's book "Black Children, White Parents Putting The Pieces Together” will be available.

More information regarding workshops, training programs, and innovative products (such as a white mother doll with Asian, Latin, or African-American child doll) can be accessed on the MOMS Connected web site at www.momsconnected.com.