Since 1967, America has seen a steady rise in interracial relationships.
With each passing day, it is becoming more and more common to see people of all races, creeds and colors engaging in marital relations, casual dating and integrating into each other’s lives.
This is interesting to see, considering that slavery was not that long ago, and oppression and both systemic and institutional racism still exist in this country.
So why does there seem to be a shift in this trend?
This trend isn’t just a matter of love or simply choice. There are actually statistics that show why and how this is happening.
The Guardian suggests that a lot of cultural, economic and attitudinal factors go into the increase. Areas with higher educational attainment see more instances of interracial relationships.
Attitudes toward interracial marriage show that there is still racism in America. According to a Pew analysis of a Census Bureau’s survey, acceptance of out-marriage to whites (81 percent) was higher than acceptance of out-marriage to Asians (75 percent), Hispanics (73 percent) or blacks (66 percent).
These statistics are fascinating because even though there are statistics to prove that race relations are improving, the dating scene still does not look too kindly on dating people of different races.
While the black community is most accepting of their members dating outside of their race at 72 percent acceptance, there are still stigmas surrounding those who decide to look outside their race for companionship.
Black people, especially the men, are considered betrayers of the people that have held them so close for so long.
There is also a stigma that black people who date outside of their race are perpetuating self-hate and do not want to be black anymore, which is an asinine claim.
There is also a belief that black and white women compete for black men, which also creates feelings of resentment and hate toward interracial couples.
But what really causes all of these issues with interracial relationships?
Well, looking at the subtle nuances between the statistics, the answer is fear.
Fear controls a lot of communities’ biases and preferences toward other races.
Yes, there is good reason to be fearful at times.
People want to protect their loved ones, whether it is from things like oppression and racism, or just to stop their loved ones from getting hurt. But that should not stop anyone from choosing a companion based on their race.
Rather, we should look at the character of the individual before making generalized judgments based on fear.
As we continue to try and break through the chains of our past as a people, we have to approach not only interracial relationships, but all situations, with cautious optimism and love.
Opinion from Marq Williams, Vanguard Reporter
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