WHITE FOSTER PARENTS LOSE BOY TO BLACK MOTHER

CHICAGO -- A three-year-old black boy in the custody of white foster
parents since he was born with cocaine in his system should be
returned to his biological mother, a former drug addict, a judge ruled
Monday.

Judge Judith Brawka said that Edward Burker, a powerful alderman, and
his wife, Appellate Court Judge Anne Burke, should hand over the boy,
known as "Baby T," to his mother, Tina Olison, within a year.

With the support of the Illinois Department of Children and Family
Services, the Burkes had fought a custody battle with the mother,
arguing that they were in a better position to meet the child's needs.
But Brawka ruled that the boy would benefit from living with his older
brother -- he also has been ordered transferred from foster care to
the mother -- and from being reared in an African-American household.

The judge said the handover would have to be gradual and she warned
Olison, who is recovering from cocaine addiction, that she would have
to cooperate with case workers who will monitor Baby T's well-being.
The Burkes have four other children.