True Life of Interracial Relationships: What Are People Saying

It has now been 44 years since the Loving vs. Virginia landmark case that removed all race based legal restrictions on marriages and finally gave people the opportunity to marry outside of their race. Now that it is legally sanctioned to permit interracial marriages, everyone accepts and respects interracial relationships, right? Not necessarily. And since we’re living in a time long after this case was relevant, it is not an issue of society today, right? Completely false. Many people still view interracial couples as immoral. In fact, hate crimes towards miscegenation proves to be an active and blatant form of racism. Though I do agree that times have certainly changed over the years and that not everyone will ratify with interracial relationships, it is still important to consider the different attitudes surrounding it when talking about race.

MTV’s “True Life: I’m in an Interracial Relationship” documentary aired in 2004 and showed us the point of view of three different interracial couples who all shared similar experiences. One couple in particular involves a black woman, Candace, and a white man, Josh, who considers himself culturally black. Candace and Josh are commonly stereotyped, questioned, and racially discriminated against by the public. Candace is frequently questioned why is she with a white man instead of a black one, and Josh is a target for racial slurs and jealous attitudes. Fortunate for them, their families openly accept their relationship and realize that race isn’t the issue. Josh proposes to Candace in front of her entire family and she accepts his hand in marriage despite the daily racist encounters they've dealt with. 

This episode of True Life aired on MTV 7 years ago from today and 20 years after the Loving v. Virginia Case. I’d gladly say that strong, hateful attitudes against interracial relationships aren’t the same today and that we are going in a forward direction to a more accepting and diverse society. However, the topic of interracial relationship remains controversial as some people are opposed and have negative views of it and not enough people consider this issue as a problem for resolution. Being aware of the issues of interracial relationships, such as those described in the life of Candace and Josh, is helpful in changing the traditional and binary views of society and creating greater social acceptance of all races. Think about 2011. What are people negatively saying about interracial couples today and what do they mean?

“White girls are easy”- referring to why black men date white women

“She’s a white man’s whore”- referring to black women who date white men

“It must because of his money”-economic justification for dating outside one’s race. 

“Don’t cheat yourself. Treat yourself”-Cheating yourself would be dating someone of a different race. Treating your self would be staying within the boundaries of your own race.

“I’d never day a ____ girl/boy”-for various reasons

“Traitor”-being disloyal to your race

What do you think?

-Brianna Allen

Affirmative Action for Poor Whites??

We all know there are many public figures that have spoken out for or against affirmative action, there are organizations trying to bring an end to affirmative action, and there are organizations trying to maintain it and reinstitute it where necessary.  Thinking about all this, I thought, what about us, the students? We are a majority group affected by affirmative action.  So what are the students thoughts on the programs that give preferential treatment to certain groups based on race, national origin and gender.  I decided to interview students at the University of Michigan to find out their perspectives on the issue.  What I found over and over was that many students alluded to one thing: affirmative action should be transformed into a policy used to resolve economic issues rather than racial ones.  In other words, many seem to believe that affirmative action based on socio-economic status is the race-neutral alternative that we should be considering.  So I questioned, is this realistic?

Affirmative action was established to take “positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).  We must examine this idea, to consider whether the notion of affirmative action based on economic standing would abide by the same principles that affirmative action based on race, gender and national origin does.  Many argue that affirmative action gives advantages to certain people who are not in need, simply based on their race or origin, and denies poor whites any assistance despite their economic disadvantage.

Phil is a history major at the University of Michigan who identifies as white and hispanic.  He states, “I believe that affirmative action should be replaced by affirmative action policies and legislation aimed at creating equal opportunity, based NOT on race but on income. I believe that this will help alleviate racial tension in society, lead to a more integrated society and stop the devaluation of minority achievement. Moreover, affirmative action based on poverty, rather than race, will still in reality give help to minorities in need and thus in many ways can be seen as having a similar effect to affirmative action.”  According to Phil’s argument, because minorities find themselves at an economic disadvantage, creating a policy of affirmative action that would provide aid or advantage based on income rather than race, would still help minorities but would also help poor whites, and would remove the stigma of the minority student who is a “product of affirmative action.”

So could this really work? Could the idea of giving affirmative action advantages based on income rather than race still achieve the goals that affirmative action looks to do?  Well in theory, the minorities who are at an economic disadvantage would still receive the benefits needed to help them rise in society.  However, unlike affirmative action as is now, this would also greatly benefit poor whites, who although part of the majority group still suffer the strife of lack of opportunity.

Ellen a student at the University of Michigan who identifies as white says, “the rights of each individual are more important than the rights of groups, not every minority experiences disadvantages, and many whites do.  Therefore, ignoring the struggles of certain white individuals, and granting all minorities advantages based on their race, gender, or national origin does not uphold equal rights for all.  I understand that many minorities are at a disadvantage, but what about poor whites, they do not fit the cap of a race desirable to increase diversity, nor do they reap the benefits of wealth and opportunity.  So what about them?”

It’s an interesting idea, the elimination of a race divide.  What would this mean about the divide of class?  If we were to give individuals preference based on income, would that fix the race divide, but as a result create a more fragmented America segregated by class?

How would grouping people based on economic standing affect how we look at race, would race become irrelevant as wealth become a more prominent factor by which people were viewed?

In theory, it does indeed sound like a great idea.  But that would only be true if we lived in a racial democracy where there was no racism.  If we eliminated affirmative action based on race, origin or gender, and instead implemented affirmative action based on income, it could hurt minorities.  The reason for this is that affirmative action helps assure that minorities are given equal opportunity and are not discriminated against due to society’s prejudices about race.  Implementing an affirmative action policy based on income, would assure minorities in need were considered.  When compared to their equivalent white counterparts, however, we could not ensure that unconscious biases would not come in to play and result in hurting the opportunities of minorities in need.

Anne a student at the University of Michigan who identifies as white says, “affirmative action based on income would not work.  We like to think we are past racism but we are not.  Our country’s history of racism makes this idea implausible, minorities are looked over everyday and looked down upon and affirmative action is the only thing assuring that, legally, they are giving the opportunities they deserve.  Poor whites do not suffer these stigmas, and if a policy such as this were implemented, minority representation would decrease and the representation of the white majority, rich or poor, would increase”

So is the idea of affirmative action based on income rather than race plausible?  I do not think that is the case, not yet.  I believe that our country is making strides towards diminishing racism, but not yet removing it.  Affirmative action based on income would only work if there were not biases, conscious or unconscious that could hurt minorities when being compared to their equivalent white counterparts.  Maybe someday we will have reached an America that we can see as non racist and without prejudice, if that happens, then we can say everyone is equal and therefore equally disadvantaged.

Yanet Zepeda

The Real Housewives of Atlanta

Another popular reality show on television today is The Real housewives of Atlanta. This series documents the lives of 6 women living in Atlanta, Georgia and their lives as wives, mothers, and for some businesswomen. Five of the women are African American and one is Caucasian and each episode is filled with drama, but in some ways it shows black women in less stereotypical roles. All of the women that are apart of the show are very wealthy and all of them have obtained some of their wealth by working. The show is centered on their conflicts but I think it is good to see black women within the media who are doing well for themselves. When it comes to their financial stability they are actually connoting more positive notions of black women and promoting the idea that hard work pays off. I believe this doesn’t take away from them being viewed as “authentic” because their behaviors on the show are at the forefront.

            One of the cast members is Kandi Burruss. She is a single mother and former singer of the popular group Xscape. She has also produced many hit songs for numerous artists, she has her own internet show called “Kandi Koated Nights”, she owns her own boutique, and she has a line of sex toys. She is one that displays the notion of hard working black woman because she is doing numerous things and providing for her family. There are also some aspects of her that can perpetuate the idea of “authenticity” among black women. Her web series is sexually oriented and the fact that she produced a line of sex toys promotes the stereotype that black women are hyper sexualized and that they thrive off being sex objects. In my opinion, her web serious is done in an entertaining and tasteful fashion where real life people are able to tell their stories to the public, but people may perceive it as something different.

            NeNe Leakes is one of the most popular cast members on the show because she is the most out-spoken. She is a soon to be divorced mother of two and she is also making a living by working. Since being apart of the show she has made numerous appearances on talk shows and she was also involved with the latest season of The Celebrity Apprentice. Her authenticity as a black woman seems to be at the forefront because she is the center of most of the drama on the show. She always makes her opinion know and she is very loud and confrontational. This perpetuates the notion that black women are angry and loud and these situations are usually what the producers decide to air on television. Viewers are inadvertently forming their views on society from the media.

            This show is Bravo networks highest rated realty television show. As the seasons go on the producers need new material to capture so the audience will keep coming back for more. The producers have changed the cast a few times since the first season to alter the scenery and add more drama. Within every season and every episode something new comes about that adds to the show as a whole. The entire cast is making a very decent living as a cast member and for them to keep it going they have to provide the audience with entertainment. This may not actually be “reality” but it is produced in a way that can connote their regular lives living in Atlanta, which is a life filled with glamour and drama and people perceive it as such. 

-Danielle Hicks 

BET's College Hill

One of the most popular reality shows on BET was College Hill Virgin Islands. This drama filled show follows the lives of 8 students attending a historically black college for a semester all while living in the same house. During this season, the cast consisted of four men and four women and all of them were black with some from America and some from the Virgin Islands. This season caused a tremendous uproar on the Virgin Islands because many people were dismayed by how the students were portrayed and how this portrayal perpetuated the stereotypes of blacks. The show’s focus was to entertain the audience so there would be high ratings and that is exactly what happened, but it was at the cost of the reputation of BET and the cast. Drama and conflict are what reality shows thrive off of and this season was very eventful to say the least.

            In the first episode the cast decides to drink heavily, ask sexual questions, and play Truth or Dare to get to know one another. Many of them become heavily intoxicated and with this came rowdy behavior; it then ended with one of the roommates passing out on the bathroom floor. Within this first episode the stereotypes of blacks are at the forefront. They are perceived to be hyper-sexualized and they seem to be more focused on drinking than focusing on their schoolwork, which can bring about the idea that they are less intelligent and lazy in comparison to whites. Since authenticity is based on how well one submits to these stereotypes it shows this cast to be very “authentic”. Most of their actions conform to what some believe as being black.

            During episode 8 there was a violent eruption when two roommates had a fight about a number of issues that had built up over time. The main reason the physical altercation started was because one roommate said something very disrespectful about the Virgin Islands, the place that one roommate calls home. Instead of talking out their issues they both decide to internalize their anger for one another until it eventually boiled over. Their violent acts goes with the concept of performativity. Both of these roommates are performing a type of person that is aggressive in behavior and because they are both black they are perpetuating this stereotype for the audience. Even though it is supposed to be reality they are just performing for their intended viewers.

            When this season aired in 2007, it was extremely popular and as more and more people watch, more and more people are forming their own opinions about the cast and this television station. Some people within the black community compared this season to a modern day minstrel show in which the cast is just putting on a show but with negative connotations for the black community.  It seems that it is a constant struggle to disapprove these stereotypical thoughts about race and when reality television shows perpetuate these idea it hinders the representations of minorities.

            The producers of this television show have defined blackness to make the cast seem as authentic as possible. The television network is catering to wide audience with a focus toward entertaining blacks and with this they have the final decision when it comes to what is going to be aired and what is not. The cast does not have a say in the end product and it is as if they are suppressing their true selves and given a new identity by the television network and the viewers.

-Danielle Hicks 

Sneaking off to the O.C.?

Being the year 2011, you’ve witnessed interracial relationships firsthand either in the media or in your real life experiences whether you agree with it or not. But, have you ever considered yourself dating someone of a different race? What about marrying and vowing to spend the rest of your life with them? The movie “Something New” (2006) features a beautiful, successful black woman, Kenya McQueen, who unwillingly catches interest in her landscaper, Brian Kelly—a white man who, despite societal expectations, falls in love with her. This romantic comedy film addresses the uneasiness of being or wanting to be in an interracial relationship for both characters. While Kenya experienced disapproval from her parents, jokes from her friends, and doubts about her relationship, Brian experienced humiliation from black people and what it was somewhat like to be a minority in their presence. Though it proves various reluctances of getting involved in an interracial relationship given the views of society, family, friends, and even those of your own race, it also suggests why these views shouldn’t matter when it comes to personal love.

“Let Go and Let Flow”

Kenya McQueen is introduced as a beautiful, intelligent, executive and newly homeowner. The only thing that she thinks she needs in her life is her IBM, or ideal black man. Kenya closed mindedly knows exactly who she’s looking for—someone who is tall, handsome, has good teeth, successful, and obviously black. She continuously and desperately looks for the “one” but doesn’t even consider white men because they automatically do not meet her criterion. She justifies this by saying, “It’s not a prejudice, it’s a preference.” In fact, Kenya represents many black women who feel as if being with a white man would be inadequate or ludicrous. As her friends suggested, Kenya had to learn to let go and let flow, meaning to loosen her limitations, open up, and let nature take its course.  Though it took some time for her to realize it, the one for her wasn’t the black man of her dreams, but was the white man right outside her backyard who was able to weaken her tough barriers. 

“Are you sneaking off to the O.C?

Things with Kenya’s new beau Brian seemingly go well, until family comes into the picture.  After receiving news of Kenya’ s situation, her curious brother questioned her decisions. He asked, “Are you sneaking off to the O.C.? Are you skiing the slopes? Are you sleeping with the enemy?” In other words, is Kenya betraying her black culture by dating a white man? This is an example of black solidarity, which is one of the arguments to why blacks and whites intermarry less than any other race. Randall Kennedy, who advocates for interracial marriages, says that black solidarity is when “blacks who marry whites are viewed with skepticism for internalizing a value system that favors whiteness.” Though it is not fair, Kenya is viewed as being disloyal by dating someone who is white. Furthermore, Kenya’s friends and family do not accept her white boyfriend right away.

“You don’t have to marry him”

After feeling the pressure of actually falling in love with someone of a different race, Kenya receives assurance from her friends who tell her, “You don’t have to marry him.” Does this mean that Brian is acceptable for Kenya to date and have a good time with but not for marriage? What would marriage further imply? Many people may find it easy to date interracially, but will draw the line at marriage because it involves more than just having fun. It involves being accepted into each other’s families, having mixed race children, creating their own family, and forever finding confidence with their relationship when the rest of society struggles to understand or respect it.  

After many ups and downs, doubts and confusion, Kenya was certain that Brian was the man for her. Though he didn’t have her same skin color, her same career, or even all of her family’s approval, they made a special connection that they couldn’t have with someone of the same race. With Brian, Kenya found someone who appreciated her natural beauty, who challenged her creativity, and who loved her for the person she was. Race was not an issue of their relationship as they found themselves comfortable with each other. 

Could you ever imagine yourself in Kenya’s shoes? If you have any apprehension towards dating someone of a different race, perhaps this movie could open your eyes to something new.

-Brianna Allen

Through My Brown Eyes

“Mom when will I turn white?”

‘”What do you mean honey, you’re black”

“But all of the people on the TV are white”

“Well you’re black and will always be black.”

            This conversation was had between my mother and I when I was about five years old.  I could not fathom why everyone on the television screen was white and I was black. I thought that as humans we started off black and gradually changed colors and eventually became white. I knew at the age of five that to be white was something to be desired, that something special came with the privilege of being white. At the age of five I had already realized that there was something wrong with being black and had started to develop self-esteem issues. My mom has told me many times about this conversation and how I wanted to white. She said I would only pick up the white Barbie dolls in the store and only associates with things that portrayed white America. Many people may say that it was my parents’ fault for not informing me about the history and cultures of my race, however I do not blame them. I believe that they felt that by being raised in an African American household and being African American myself I would absorb our culture by osmosis and therefore never took the time to teach me.

            I cannot say that I am not embarrassed for my beliefs and the things I said, but who isn’t when it comes to their childhood. However, this made me realize how salient race is in America. People cannot say that racism does not exist. The fact that a five year old girl believes that something is wrong with her because of the color of her skin is an issue that needs to be discussed. Children are growing up with an internal hatred of themselves and a desire to change themselves. The sad part is that no one has blatantly told these children that they are inferior. They have picked up these ideologies from the media and have internalized them. Being able to see people on television that look like you is a form of white privilege that affects minorities throughout their lifetime. They do not have the luxury of seeing people on the television that look like them, and when they do they are portrayed as ignorant, stereotypical, or the token minority. I remember when my little sister was younger she stated that no one likes the black Barbie because she is ugly and because she does not look like us. The media has shown children that if you are not white, or of some lighter complexion you are not pretty.

    A couple of weeks ago I was watching the Victoria Secret Fashion show and while watching it, I realized that I had only seen one African American model, and she was of a light complexion. I was shocked because I would hope that in 2011 we would have more people of color in the media, and of more pronounced color. I Googled a picture of her and found that in reality she is not that light. Society is perpetuating the belief that to be of lighter skin complexion, or in its most extreme forms to be white are the best way to be. As a friend once told me, if you are not white, you need to look and act as white as possible in order to succeed. There were also other minorities in the fashion show, most of them of Hispanic descent. However, looking at them on the television, one would not know this. I also had to research their ethnic backgrounds. I began to feel inferior once again while watching this. I thought, none of them look like me, and if that is the standard of beauty I must be the ugliest person in the world. I realized that I am still struggling with the issues of my internalized racism and oppression. While walking on the campus of the University of Michigan, I am definitely out of my comfort zone and deal with these issues daily. I along with many other minorities carry the burden of internalized racism and oppression with us like a coat that we cannot take off. The constant carrying of this burden imbeds itself in the minds, hearts, and souls of minorities and they begin to feel as if it is them against the world. They feel that they need to prove the world wrong.

            “Oh God, I am the only black person in my group. Will they talk to me or ignore me? Will they dismiss my ideas? Will I have to fight to get a word in edgewise and make my voice be heard?” These are all the questions that run through my head on a daily basis. Growing up in an African American suburb and going to predominantly black schools allowed me the comfort of knowing that I would never be judged by the color of my skin.  However, college is different. There has been many times where I have been the only black person in a room and have realized that I have to show these people what a real black person is like, because I may be the only black person they ever interact with. When I heard about stereotype threat this resonated with me because I realized that I constantly fall prey to it. I feel like I have my whole race on my back and that I have to prove to the world that we are not the degenerates that they made us out to be. We once discussed in lecture about how minorities do not have the luxury to be regarded as an individuals and how this is a form of white privilege. A friend and I were discussing this and we agreed that as a minority and as African Americans more specifically we carry the entire race on our back. We are fighting for people we do not know halfway across the country and for people who have not even been born yet. However, this has always been the way of our people. The civil rights leaders fought for me so that I could fight for the ones after me. Am I still struggling with my issues with internalized racism and oppression and my self-esteem issues, yes, however, everyday I become closer to realizing that it’s better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not.


-Brandie Smith

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison is an award-winning author who has written books about the lives of African Americans for over thirty years. In 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. Her first novel, which was published is 1970, was entitle The Bluest Eye. Although not popular when first published it has grown in favor since then. While reading this novel I became engaged in the message she portrays about how children are subjected to ideas about beauty and how society only reinforces these stereotypes. 

The Bluest Eye is about an 11-year-old African American girl named Pecola Breedlove who is very dark skinned. Throughout the novel she longs to be blond haired and blue eyed. Her family and the town she lives in only reinforces these stereotypes and eventually causes her to have a mental breakdown. While reading the forward of the novel Toni Morrison states that she was inspired to write this novel because a friend of hers wanted to be blond haired and blue eyed also. She states “The assertion of racial beauty was not a reaction to the self-mocking, humorous critique, of racial/cultural foibles common in all groups, but against the damaging internalization of assumptions of immutable inferiority originating in an outside gaze.” (p.xi) This quote is very powerful. Here she illustrates that her friend had internalized the stereotype that African Americans are not beautiful and was fighting against the world’s standards of beauty. I found this intriguing because it is based on a real situation. This shows how prevalent internalizing racism and oppression is in minorities’ lives. Had this been a completely fictional story, it would have had just as much prevalence as it does, however, the fact that Morrison used a little girl’s actual desire and wrote the book, shows that these situations do exist. It also shows that children begin to interpret and internalize this racism and oppression at a very young age.

The story is told from multiple points of view, however the main point of view is from a 9 years old girl. Her name is Claudia MacTeer and she is the antithesis of Pecola. She fights against the belief to be black means that you are not attractive and does not feel that to be blond haired and blue-eyed means that you are beautiful. Her innocence is revealed as well as her maturity. She is innocent in the fact that she has not realized the internalized racism that plagues the black community and mature in the fact that she has realized that there is no one true standard of beauty.  In one part of the novel She states that the world believes that being white is the ultimate form of beauty and that she could not understand it and that she could not accept it. She describes a situation where for Christmas her parents brought her a white baby doll and how she felt toward it. She says, “Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs, - all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow haired, pinked skinned doll was what every girl child treasured…I could not love it.” (p. 20-21) She goes on to say that eventually life taught her that this is what beauty means and therefore she conformed her views. She calls it an “adjustment without improvement. ”

Throughout the novel we learn the experiences of Pecola Breedlove through the interactions with her family and with the people of her town.  Toni Morrison reveals that internalized racism and oppression runs deeper than in this one child. Her family walks around with the notion that they are ugly and that is all they every will be. Claudia states that they conduct themselves as if some higher being has told them that they are inferior and they have accepted that claim without question. This shows that she cannot get sympathy or compassion from her family because they are all in the same situation.  The town she lives in is predominantly African American, and throughout the novel one is shown how they view beauty. Many of the children and the teachers at her school prefer the girl who is of a lighter complexion, and whenever they describe someone of a darker skin color, especially Pecola, they always talk about how ugly and black they are, only furthering her notion that being black equates to being ugly.  Morrison shows that internalizing racism and oppression does not only affect one person of the community, but it affects the entire race as a whole and that as a community we pass these internalizations on to the next generation. 

At the end of the novel Pecola is finally “granted her blue eyes”. A medicine man gives her blue eyes in order to give her happiness. This causes Pecola to have a mental breakdown and she begins talking to herself. This is ironic because she was not happy without blue eyes, and now that she has them, or thinks that she has them, she has become worse. Claudia states at the end of the novel that Pecola wanders though the garbage at the edge of town talking to herself and how she was the victim that allowed the rest of the town to feel beautiful.  She states at the end of the novel that, “…among all the waste and beauty of the world- which she herself was. All of our waste which we dumped on her and which she absorbed.” (p. 205) Claudia also comments on how the soil in which Pecola was given to grow in was poor and how she never had a chance, “This soil is bad for certain kinds of flowers. Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear, and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live.” (p. 206)

This novel was very profound. Toni Morrison portrayed the struggles of internalized racism, not only from one individual’s viewpoint, but also from multiple individual’s perspectives. She showed us how this affects the entire community and how it will continue to affect the lives of minorities.  I feel that this book allowed people to realize that in order to stop this cycle we must first begin with ourselves in the hopes that we will change the future generations.


-Brandie Smith