A black woman was a pioneer in knocking down the final legal barriers to interracial marriage in the United States. An obituary titled "Quiet Va. Wife Ended Interracial Marriage Ban" written by Patricia Sullivan May 6, 2008 and published in the Washington Post chronicles the life of Mildred Loving. Mildred Jeter was a young black woman that married a white man named Richard Loving. Their Virginia marriage was illegal in 1967 and led to the Supreme Court case that overturned the ban on interracial marriage in the United States.
Given the pivotal role that a black woman played in making interracial marriage legal in the United States, it is ironic that black women are least likely to step outside of their race when selecting a marriage partner. An article titled "Interracial marriage: more than double the rate in the 1980s" written by Husna Haq June 4, 2010 and published in The Christian Science Monitor goes into the composition and percentages of which groups are marrying outside of their racial groups.
The numbers show 2 elements that are moving to other races in increased numbers. Asian women and black men are both marrying other races more than their gender counterparts. Asian women are joining with other men as 40% of Asian women married outside their race compared to 20% of Asian men. Black men married women of other races at a rate of 22% to 9% for black women.
Black Women Resist Interracial Marriage
Black women seem to be reluctant to move away from black men as marriage partners and this has caused some issues in the black community. There have even been controversial studies and even television show directed at the plight some black women are facing find suitable mates.
An article titled "Single, Black, Female -- and Plenty of Company" by Linsey Davis and Hana Karar December 22, 2009 on the ABC News website recounts what black women said about the problems they have finding acceptable men. Estimates report that there are 1.8 million more black women than black men which is a problem if many black women have decided that their ideal mate is a black man. The other problem is caused by the fact that if 22% of black men have decided to marry outside their race compared to 9% of black women doing the same, then there may be a reaction when some black women see black men pairing with females of other races.
History Versus Happiness
The question is why are black women reluctant to pair with men of other races? Some of the reluctance may be historical. An ugly but true fact of slavery was the involuntary sex that black women had with their slave owners. As property of slave owners black women had no way to resist these forced couplings.
Another factor may have been the long held notion of the black woman as the backbone of the black community. During the years when black men had to work below their station or leave home to earn a decent wage, the black woman held the family together and worked as well. Black women may feel they are all that’s standing between losing what is left of the black community and they prefer a black husband to be the father of their children.
There may be validity to the reasons most black women choose to marry within their race, but the issue becomes personal when there are no preferred mates is in sight on the horizon. Life is still a one trip affair and that trip should not be taken alone. Black women should look at the percentages of other men and women that are stepping outside of the racial group to find life partners and give the idea serious thought.
