SACRAMENTO, Calif. — November is National Adoption Month, and in that spirit, Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn wanted to share how his adoption saved his life.
Hahn's parents adopted him more than 50 years ago when he was only three months old.
"My life is an example of what we can be as a society: being put up for adoption at birth and being adopted by my mom and all the things that my mom and the community have done for me," Hahn said.
The Juvenile Law Center reports that roughly 90% of youth within the foster care system for more than five years will enter the justice system with a high likelihood of incarceration. Hahn said people who adopt children in foster care can help expose youth to a nurturing environment that prevents them from ending up in the justice system.
Hahn was born to an interracial family, a Black father and White mother. However, the mother's family said they "are not going to have a Black child," which lead to him being placed for adoption.
"That's why I know we can get where we need to be," Hahn said. "Because the community I grew up in and my mom the way she operated and lived her life. She is the most unlikely person to adopt a black child. She grew up on a small farm in Minnesota. She didn't see a black person until she was older yet she lived in Oak Park and was there for everybody."
Every November, the Children's Bureau collaborates with Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUS Kids to create events and activities that support and promote the adoption of children from foster care to permanent families. Currently, more than 55,000 children and youth in California are living in foster care, according to AdoptUS Kids.
The goal of National Adoption Month is to celebrate adoption and increase the awareness of the thousands of children and youth in foster care who are waiting for permanent, loving families.
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