The Importance Of Interracial Marriage

Interracial marriage has traditionally been viewed as a means of expressing a hatred of oneself, of escaping something in one’s culture or self that one no longer wants to identify with. Jacki Thompson Rand describes the outcome of this phenomenon in an essay on her experience as the child of an interracial marriage. She explains how her mother married a white man in an effort to make herself more white, and therefore more legitimate: “My mother 's marriage to my father was a racial love

In May 2005 ‘Navigating Interracial Borders’ was published by Erica Chito Childs. The article offers a refined and understanding analysis of the social and political context of interracial relationships in America. Childs explores the world of interracial couples and examines the ways that group attitudes shape relationships. Using her own personal experiences, interviews, group responses, as well as media sources, she provides compelling evidence which verifies that disapproval still exists toward black/white unions. However it is merely being shown in a more subtle manor.

In each generation, it seems as if there is always a very controversial issue. It usually varies from the legalization of marijuana or the lowering of the drinking age all the way to the views on abortions. However, one thing is clear, the issue on interracial relationships is still as controversial today as it was nearly fifty years ago. While times may have changed and society has gotten used to these interracial relationships, it’s still something that is being talked about regularly. Starting in the 1960’s, the issue on interracial relationships became more relevant. It sparked much controversy after a couple from Virginia was arrested for participating in an interracial relationship. The case, Loving versus Virginia, was taken to the

According to the U. S. Census Reports, interracial marriages have more than tripled between 1980 and today. There are currently 1.6 million interracial marriages in the United States, and that figure is continuing to grow (Duru, 2012). Statistics show that over 70% of American society has no problem with mixed race relationships, and 40% of Americans have already dated someone of another ethnicity. For the most part relationships between people of different races are no different from the interactions between people of the same race (Duru, 2012).

The history of interracial relationships in America is a painfully loaded issue which is still evolving in the consciousness of the 20th century. Because the first instances of sexual integration occurred under the institution of slavery, our understanding of them is necessarily beset with dominance, violence, and rape. Interracial relationships and the children they produced became another manifestation of power relationships between whites and blacks in our contorted social atmosphere. Even to the present day, interracial relationships are often looked upon as being propelled by impure motives and

In the late 1900's everything began to change how society views interracial relationships in the United States. Why does America have difficulties excepting what is different than them? According to the supreme court of Virginia, the majority of people cannot accept differences and racist comments carry upon the lives of our American nation. According to Donna Lucey, she states, "racist opinion gave us a clear shot to appeal to the supreme court of Virginia" (4). In 1967, the supreme court legalized interracial marriages. The first ever couple is Richard, a white male, and his wife Mildred, a black female, who they fought for the freedom of loving of a different ethnic

Today, interracial relationships are socially acceptable but that has not always been the case. Rachel M. Moran, author of “Interracial Intimacy,” argues that “the freedom to love across the color line is a recent phenomenon in American history.” As late as the 1960s, U.S. states had the power to prohibit races from intermarrying, at one point, mostly all 50 states have banned interracial marriages. During the colonial era, anti-miscegenation laws were used to define the differences between whites and blacks; the statutes aimed at keeping racial privilege. It was not until 1967 that anti-miscegenation laws were overruled by the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia. Furthermore, several other factors contributed to the overruling of statutes

Regardless of our social rhetoric of color-blindness, when it comes to choosing a spouse we seem to be remarkably aware of color, at least we were legally for more than 200 years and despite legal permission, society still exacts a social opinion on the matter. Law professor Rachel Moran examines this issue in Interracial Intimacy: The Regulation of Race and Romance and argues that the promise of racial justice is tied to integrating our most personal relationships. It is not that interracial marriages will solve the race problem in the United States. However, Moran argues that the lack of them is an indication of the strength of the problem and that they are

There is an abundance of evidence that displays interracial dating is on the rise. “Krikor (2001) reports that interracial marriages are increasing, from 51,000 African American-Caucasian marriages in 1960 to 330,000 in 1998. Gurung & Duong (1999) and

Interracial marriages also are greatly affected family and whether they accept or reject the union. In the article “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States Through Differential Assimilation” the authors talk about the social acceptance of interracial marriages and how it is “assimilated” within society. They talk about how families are a key factor in acceptance of interracial marriage:

Society’s perceptions place greater stress on interracial couples. Americans have a strong need to categorize and segregate. Even modern American society is obsessed with whiteness and the exclusion of anyone who is not of Anglo descent. This creation of a caste system sustains the high status of the White majority and oppresses minorities. Social norms declare that one must be American and White in order to be considered normal; non-Whites are abnormal, un-American, and physically and mentally inferior to Whites (Grapes). Moreover, skin color stratification gives those with lighter skin privilege and preferential treatment. This social norm of discrimination based on skin color further pits races against each other and introduces racial

In the 21st century, the United States is turning into a diverse and multicultural society. As society becomes more diverse, many Americans will cross racial boundaries within their community. Not many years ago, that the idea of interracial dating was acknowledged as immoral. As the idea of interracial relationships becomes more common with the Americans, they will reconsider their perspectives toward futuristic relationships. In the year of 2000, it was anticipated that the U.S population will be consisted primarily of people of color. The potential for interracial dating will inevitably increase as the number of individuals of color in institutions, workplaces, and all other aspects of life increases. To investigate interracial dating, a college campus is a relevant setting because it represents one of the many opportunities for young individuals

The two articles used were “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation” (Lewis, Ford- Robinson, 2010) and “Marital Dissolution among Interracial Couples” (Zhang, Van Hook, 2009). The first article “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation”, spoke about the unprecedented changes that our society is going though in the 21st century.

The law forbidding interracial marriage was terminated in 1967, and in the midst of rapid racial change, one fact is unmistakable: A growing number of Americans are showing that we all can get along by forming relationships and families that cross all color lines. In the past couple decades, the number of interracial marriages has increased dramatically. Interracial dating and marrying is described as the dating or marrying of two people of different races, and it is becoming much more common to do so. Thirty years ago, only one in every 100 children born in the United States was of mixed race. Today, the number is one in 19. In some states, such as California and Washington, the number is closer to one in 10 (Melting Pot).

Over time, society’s beliefs over human rights have changed dramatically. For example, interracial marriage was first declared constitutional and a basic right of all individuals during 1967. Decades previous to this year, it was considered taboo to interfere with the purity of one’s race. However, people eventually grew to accept that individuals of separate races can develop a loving relationship and should be able to express their feelings to the world. Nowadays, Americans, along with other people around the globe, are beginning to welcome the idea that individuals of the same gender can develop strong, loving bonds as well. Nonetheless, a portion of the population of the United States believes that the definition of marriage is “… the intimate union and equal partnership of a man and a woman” (“Meaning and Purpose”). Individuals with this belief have been attempting to elect government officials with the ability to suggest laws that forbid same-sex marriage such as a proposed amendment, which failed to pass in 2004, that declared that a marriage was to be composed of a man and a woman. Same-sex matrimonies and the definition of marriage have caused wide controversy, the establishment of supportive and opposing groups, and the formation of different thoughts over the topics that amendments should cover.