Interracial Marriages in the U.S.

In recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of black-white marriages in the United States. In 1970, there were 65,000 black-white couples; by 1988, that number had grown to 218,000 (Garwood, 1991, p. 19). The ratio of black-white marriages to all other marriages also increased during that period. In 1990, black-white marriages represented "four out of every 1,000 married couples, where in 1970 only 1.5 of every 1,000 marriages was mixed" (Kroll, Smith & Murr, 1991, p. 44). The attitudes of Americans toward interracial marriage have gradually been changing in recent decades, as well. Thus, there is more tolerance toward interracial relationships today than there was in the past. However, for the most part, prejudicial attitudes remain strong for many Americans. In fact, the average American attitude shows far less acceptance than is found in most of the other countries of the world.

Many questions have been raised regarding the motivations for entering into a black-white relationship. Some people take a rather cynical viewpoint on-this issue. For example, the black filmmaker Spike Lee has claimed that, although many interracial relationships are based on love, many others are based on "the myths of black male sexual prowess and white women as the epitome of beauty" (Buckley, 1991, p. H20). This perspective seems to be supported by the fact that there are far more black-white marriages between black men and white women, as opposed to white men and b

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e impact on the lives of such children. However, the evidence indicates that the children of interracial couples usually adjust very well to their circumstances. Gay (1988), for example, has cited studies which show biracial children to be all right, even when their parents are subjected to harsh social pressures. According to Gay: "Most of the young people for the studies are of black/white heritage and appear to be high achievers with no major social or psychological problems. In fact, young people who have learned to cope in a racist society often have a high self-esteem and a strong sense of who they are" (Gay, 1988, p. 84). Some children of black-white marriages have even become famous, with Prince, Rae Dawn Chong, and Mariah Carey being notable examples (Buckley, 1991, p. H20). There are numerous organizations in America today which are designed to help interracial families cope with their unique problems. These include the Multiracial Family Network, an organization which seeks "to build more cross-cultural awareness within the interracial community and throughout society at large" (Eldridge, 1989, p. 14). There are many other groups which help interracial families to adapt and to take pride in their multiple herit

Category: Psychology - I