6 things you should know when you've adopted a child of a different race or culture, according to an expert

It's important to embrace diversity, not ignore it.iStock

• Insider spoke to Aminah Ali, a licensed master social worker who works in foster care and adoption.
• She advises parents to embrace diversity within their families.
• Parents should learn about the heritage of their child's birth parents and find ways to incorporate it into family life.
• Strangers are not entitled to information about your family's makeup and Ali encourages parents not to feel pressured to answer nosy questions.

Being an adoptive parent comes with its own unique set of challenges, and you may have even more questions if you're adopting a child of a different race or ethnicity than your own.

To answer some of these questions, Insider spoke to Aminah Ali, a licensed master social worker and the clinical supervisor of the Therapeutic Foster Care program at Klingberg Family Centers, a nonprofit agency in New Britain, Connecticut, that serves children and families through various programs including foster care and adoption resources.

Here is Ali's advice for mistakes to avoid when raising children of a different racial or ethnic background.