Why Won't You Adopt Me / Because You're Black

About

Why Won't You Adopt Me? or Because You're Black refers to a viral scene from a Generation Hope video in which a Black child asks an older white man why he won't adopt him, to which the man yells back, "Because you're Black." The video was uploaded to YouTube in June 2022 and became the subject of memes that month, continuing to inspire memes on TikTok as an original sound throughout 2023. The meme saw a notable resurgence in June 2023 as people began using it in YouTube edits, some of the most prominent referencing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and its protagonist Miles Morales.

Origin

On June 7th, 2022, YouTuber^[1] Generation Hope, a Dhar Mann inspired channel that posts inspirational, life lesson content, posted a video titled "White Couple Won't ADOPT BLACK Kid, What Happens Next Is Shocking," garnering over 2.9 million views in a year (shown below).

In the video, a white couple, Jim and Pam, go to an adoption agency to get a child, saying they want a "beautiful, white angel." The adoption agent, Helena, says she has the "perfect" child for them, named Damien. When they exit the building with her, Jim asks where all the white children are. The couple goes on to make fun of the non-white kids playing in the yard, calling them "dirty."

Damien, a young Black boy, approaches the couple to introduce himself and they're immediately aggressive. They tell him to go away and say they're there to adopt a "beautiful child" and don't want him. Damien offers to introduce the couple to the other kids but they continue to berate him, calling him a "thug" and a "gross little monster." Damien insists he's the same as all the other kids but Jim insists Damien is different. Damien, frustrated, yells, "Just tell me, why won't you adopt me?" and Jim yells back, "Because you're Black," sending Damien to the ground.

Another white man, Will, then approaches the crying Damien and consoles him, telling Damien that he was also an orphan once. The man decides to adopt Damien. Damien tells him that the couple berated him for being Black and the man assures him that there's nothing wrong with him. Damien and Will approach the couple and demand an apology. The adoption agent comes into the scene and accuses the couple of insulting children, then says she's going to file a report to ban them from the adoption system and that she's called the police.

The earliest known meme to use the video was posted by YouTuber^[2] Drant on June 13th, 2022, in which he adds the Vine Boom sound effect to the scene, garnering over 83,000 views in a year (shown below).

Spread

The video became increasingly popularized in edits on YouTube and TikTok throughout 2022. For example, on July 9th, 2022, YouTuber^[7] King Turtle posted an edit that gained over 159,000 views in 11 months (shown below, left). On July 20th, YouTuber^[8] Achilles posted an edit that gained over 119,000 views in the same span of time (shown below, right).

On February 25th, 2023, TikToker^[3] @offperson0 posted an edit where the clip plays, followed by a cut to a Dhar Mann clip, garnering over 2.9 million views in four months (shown below).

In late May through early June 2023, the video's original sound went viral on TikTok,^[4][5] inspiring over 16,900 uses in four months. The most viewed videos are comedic lip dubs (examples shown below).

On June 9th, YouTuber^[6] N1GHT posted an Across the Spider-Verse meme using audio from the Generation Hope video, garnering over 288,000 views in two weeks (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References