I joke all the time about how great it will be when we’re all beige. When the color of our skin will no longer be an issue and each of us is will only be judged by our character and behavior.
When I say all this, I mean it. But I also realize that it’s probably not going to happen in my lifetime. Maybe I’m wrong. If I can live to be 100, I might have a chance. What do you think?
Based on this article in CNN, my chances may have increased.
According to studies:
- About one in seven marriages are interracial or interethnic, according to a new Pew study
- Pew Center: Asians and Hispanics are most likely to marry outside of their race
- In 2008, African-Americans 3 times more likely to marry outside race, compared with 1980
- Americans, particularly Millennials, are more accepting of interracial relationships
CNN – In America Series - Interracial Marriages at an All Time Hight, Study Says.
By Stephanie Chen, CNN
(CNN) — The first time Priya Merrill, who is Indian, brought her white boyfriend home for Thanksgiving in 2007, the dinner was uncomfortable and confusing. She still remembers her family asking if Andrew was the bartender or a family photographer.
The couple married last August, and her Indian family has warmed up to her husband despite their racial differences.
“I think we get the best of both cultures,” said Merrill, 27, of New York. She added, “Sometimes I just forget that we’re interracial. I don’t really think about it.”
Asian. White. Black. Hispanic. Do race and ethnicity matter when it comes to marriage?
“Asian. White. Black. Hispanic. Do race and ethnicity matter when it comes to marriage?”
Well, yes and no.
Yes, it does matter.
Some people aren’t attracted to their own ethnicity, so they seek someone they are attracted to. For my friend who is from India, he’s attracted to Caucasian women, so that’s the “pond” he’s fishing from. For a lot of people, though, it may be that either (1) they aren’t attracted to other ethnicities, or (2) they’re not comfortable with the perceived stigma from being in an interracial relationship even though they are attracted to someone from another race, so they refrain from it.
No, it doesn’t matter.
As a Christian man who desires to be in an interracial marriage, I’m aware that we are all created in the same image — that of the Trinity. We bear God’s resemblance in our masculine and feminine hearts, not our skin tone.
It is the heart underneath the skin that truly makes the person.
But, like I mentioned above, some people are attracted to certain ethnicities.
I may be a little biased, since I have an amazingly strong and fulfilling marriage (that happens to be interracial), but in my opinion race and ethnicity aren’t the issues.
What matters is that couples have shared values and goals. If there are known hurdles, such as religious differences, then they need to have plan before they wed on how they will raise their children, etc. They need to be aware that once they wed, outside family concerns and pressure take a back seat to spousal support and unity. Couples, regardless of race, that begin with a shared foundation and common goals are far more likely to succeed than thise without.