Interracial adoption should be celebrated.  No parent should be treated like Glenn Greenwald was treated after giving an interview about the importance of fatherhood. He discussed the joys of adopting two children with his Brazilian husband. In the video, he tells the story about what happened following this benign and joyful conversation about fatherhood.

I’m certain that my feelings about this topic are intensified by the fact that I am an adoptive parent of two children who were born in another part of the world. They are strong young women, but I will always be ferociously protective of them.  On many occasions I’ve written about the racist venom increasingly coming from many on the political left. I often see it on Twitter, unapologetic and bold. I’ve seen a ton of it in training materials leaked from schools and corporations (sometimes it goes under the name of CRT, but not always).  I’m glad that Glenn Greenwald has spoken out so eloquently in this video and I applaud the ways in which he has framed the issues.

Originally, it was right-wingers who railed against interracial families. Having apparently learned nothing at all, more than a few left wingers have taken up this deplorable cause–it’s like their brains were transported 70 years back in time. The two main culprits in this case are Rafael Shimunov and Wagatwe Wanjuki, both of them intricately connected to many liberal organizations, including universities. They boldly spewed their racist poison to their online communities, presumably including many people involved in these left-leaning organizations. Shimunov issued a half-assed apology after learning that Greenwald put Shimunov’s conduct under the spotlight. Wagatwe has not retracted any of her postings and has not apologized.  Part of this story also mentions deplorable tweets written by best-selling author Ibram Kendi (How to be an Antiracist), attacking Amy Coney Barrett during her confirmation process. Her sin was the same as Greenwald’s: she had an interracial family.  Kendi has not retracted his disgusting tweets and has not apologized.

My hope is that someday soon right-wing and left-wing moderates will call out the bad behavior of the zealots of their own parties.  I’m not convinced that this will ever happen, because tribal impulses bind and blind members of the tribes. And where they do clearly see people of their own political party acting in shitty ways, they lack the courage to speak up.  For most people in the U.S., it is more important to bask in the glow of one’s tribe than to live by high principles.

Glenn’s Tweet regarding the incident: