Aliyah Olivier

Laura Goldstein
UCWR 110-010
12 December 2016
Interracial Relationships

In the 1800s there were slave masters and slaves. These were the horrific ages of the past.
Then came segregation and the civil rights movement. Still, racial tension boiled over.
Consequently, after different generations of both black and white people, they were born with a
burden into this world. These generations were born into a society with the burdens of their
ancestors. The fight against black and white. The fight against oppression and racism. Presently
in the United States there are many that believe that we can all come together and live happily.
These people pursue interracial relationships. Regardless of our history, we should be able to
date outside of our race. Does it pose a threat to either side? No, it does not. Think of it as
gaining knowledge about other people. Its an exchange of love and an exchange of culture that
satisfies the relationship while keeping the fire ablaze.
Interracial relationships have always been contentious. Whether it is about families
disapproving of the other individual or because of the different backgrounds that contain large
amounts of racial tension. Specifically, the focus of this paper is about black and white
relationships. Also, it will include these relationships in different parts of the United States to
depict what it is like to have this type of relationship where it is not seen as a social norm. It will
consist of the history of this racial tension and interatrial relationships in the 1950s to the present.
In addition to social norms back then compared to today. It will explain the different cultural
views as to why some people would reject these types of relationships stemming from their
beliefs. It will explain why people would accept these relationships because of their different
beliefs. The point of the paper is to reveal why interracial relationships may seem accepted in the
US, but certain biases expose the truth as to why they are still less accepted.
Imagine two people of completely different backgrounds. One is a European woman
living in the 1950s in the US. She fell for a poor black man. They were both in love. They
secretly saw each other when they could. But it was extremely risky. They would be murdered if
were caught by anyone, specifically hung together. As their spirits float up into the atmosphere,
they intertwine until they reach heaven. In heaven, they could live peacefully together. In
modern US society, interracial relationships are viewed as very contentious. There are two
different sides which are those who accept it and others that are part of the opposition. However,
interracial relationships should be more accepted because there is a lot to gain.
In the article, I Wouldnt, But You Can: Attitudes Toward Interracial Relationships by
Melissa R. Herman, the author discusses interracial boundaries within dating, marriage, and
childbearing. When it comes to dating and marrying interracially, most of what people know is

based off of the behaviors of others, as opposed to attitudes that are expressed throughout
society. Many aspects shape interracial relationships such as gender gaps and biases that are of
the outgroup of society. In addition, the article examines personal and global attitudes towards
the matter at hand. Certain tests were done to determine the outcome of attitudes of white
individuals to see if they opposed all types of these relations or if they in fact, would consider to
engage in such behavior. Surveys have shown that while the global attitudes about interracial
relationships are accepted, when it comes to different levels of intimacy they start to differ. Most
white respondents may accept interracial relations with dating, but fail to accept intermarriage
because of biases within both groups. In a study, King and Bratter (2007), the results showed that
those whose first sexual relationship was with an individual of cross-race created a common
ground for future cross-race relationships. This means that those that had sexual intimacy with
another race were more likely to have positive attitudes, thus, would be likely to consider
intermarriage.
There are a variety of different types of relationships that can shift our perspective of
cohabitation, marriage, childbearing and dating. These types of relations all have the same
patterns. The pattern is that usually most relationships are always same raced. Homogamy is a
definite factor because of social norms set in the past. Different races stayed within their own
race and never went out to seek that of another race. Therefore, all people were pure insofar as
they stayed within their own race. However, most of these social norms from the past have
decreased significantly. Statistics have shown that interracial dating is starting to become a social
norm; a determinate factor is proximity. The study, Carver et al. (2003), nationally represented
data displayed that students from 7th to 12th grade engaged in interracial relationships if there
were a high percentage of minorities within schools as opposed to a very low percentage of white
students whom engaged in interracial relationships in schools that were predominantly white. An
important factor in interracial dating has to deal with the environments that individuals have
grown up in. People are more likely to have positive attitudes if they are in diverse environments
in contrast to people in isolated environments that make them restricted to cross-race social
contact. People chose their interracial partners based on certain racial patterns that correspond to
bigotry and racism throughout the history of the United States. Because of this, whites are most
likely to date other minorities and Blacks were at the end of the list. Latinos were found mostly
likely to date all other races and again, blacks were at the bottom of the list. When it comes to
dating online white women were more likely to reduce their preferences to only white men. On
the contrary, people in larger, diverse cites tend to be unlikely to choose only same race partners.
Those that are conservative usually stay within their own group.
The percentage of people that approve of intermarriage has increased significantly from
1950s to present time. However, approval rates are far higher than actual intermarriage rates.
When it comes to different racial groups banning interracial marriage, whites are more likely to
support the laws rather than blacks and latinos. White people are also in opposition to family
members marrying black people. Intermarriage is more accepted by people of not only a higher
education, but of a high income that reside outside of southern states. Interracial couples that
have children often differ in parenting styles. Also, the family members on both sides express
concern for the child as to whether they will be accepted by either side. There are also different

gender comparisons about the specific attitudes of white women and white men. White women
have been found to be more liberal than white men which relates to how they all view interracial
relations. However, white men have been found more likely to engage in social contact with
minorities rather than white women. There are certain gender patterned attitudes that are
importing to the situation. Studies have shown that white and black women are more likely to
have positive perspectives when it comes to close social contact with other races as opposed to
men in general. However, statistics show that black women and Asian men are viewed to be the
least attractive in interracial relations due to stereotypical perspectives that society has exploited.
But regardless of several factors between interracial relationships and attitudes, what remains
constant is that the majority would still not engage or pursue serious interrelations.
This article expresses and reveals that interracial relationships will always be viewed as
controversial. Even though globally positive attitudes towards interracial relations are very high,
personal attitudes towards the same subject are much more hesitant when engaging in these
behaviors. Interracial marriage is less likely to occur because marriage is an extreme
commitment to which both sides do not want to accommodate for. The observation of interracial
marriages suggests that dating is a less serious relationship. Dating couples are not expected
to plan for children, combine household budgets or engage in other activities married couples
must handle. One who dates across his/her race can be seen as sowing wild oats rather than
making a permanent relationship with family and racial identity ramifications (Herman).
People are capable of engaging in interatrial relationships because it is not serious. Sometimes
individuals want to sample other races. For example, some men want to date outside of their race
because they want to have the experience of another race. That way, they are not questioning
dating other races. To others, interracial relations are merely just a fetish. Some people get off on
being with a specific race. However, just because people like being with different races does not
mean they will have a serious commitment and marry an individual of a different race. The
personal views of individuals will most likely stay the same even if they are dating interracially.
This is why there are many misunderstandings with individuals engaging in interracial
relationships.
The personal attitudes of interracial relations vary in regards to gender boundaries as
well. White women are viewed as more liberal towards minorities rather than their white male
counterparts. Because of this, one would assume that white women would engage in more
interracial relations because of their personal views. In contrast, the article proves the exact
opposite. Males are viewed as more conservative, but are more willing to dabble in interracial
dating. Males are also more likely to have dated interracially, as are non-Catholics, people who
are more politically liberal, better educated, and younger (Yancey, 2002) (Herman). This shows
that the personal views of individuals can alter the perceptions of interracial dating. It all depends
on how the person was raised and what kind of environmental factors and social contact they
were engaged in.
Social contact is an important factor that shapes personal attitudes. In conservative
communities that are black and white, interracial dating is looked down upon. When a white
woman dates a black man, she is far more likely to get disapproval from her family than a white

man that brings home a black woman. Now with both scenarios, the white families strongly
disapprove, although the disapproval of white women with black men is slightly higher. Also
with black households, black families disapprove of their children dating white men and women.
Whites who engage in interracial relationships are often treated in racist ways that undermine
their established understandings of fairness and equal treatment (Dalmage, 2000) (Herman).
Interracial relationships can put certain pressures on the individuals. Whites have more pressures
and are treated as outcasts when they date interracially, specifically when dating blacks. To the
white community those who date black people pose a threat to the white race. Because then a
product of that relationship could be a child. Very conservative white families only approve of
same-race dating so that the gene pool is not altered. These conservative views really conflict
with the perspectives of interracial dating.
With both negative and positive attitudes about interracial relationships, less people
engage in serious relationships with other races. This is because of the perspectives of families
that can definitely impact an individual when it comes to dating. Not only is it the perspectives of
the families but the perspectives of the entire communities that makes the individual feel guilty
and shameful. This is a major issue with interracial relationships in society, which is why they
are so conflicting on both sides.
Sometimes serious interracial relationships do not work out due to a lack of
understanding from both sides. For minorities, it is easier to try to view the world from a white
perspective. However, white people have more of a difficulty viewing life from the perspective
of a minority. This is why sometimes in relationships whites may view their black partners to be
guilty of being victimized in situations when in fact their white partners are just incapable of
understanding the situation. When people fail to accurately gauge how partners think and feel,
they may provide too much or too little support, both of which are associated with decreased
relationship satisfaction (Brock & Lawrence, 2009) (Holodien). Failing to understand interracial
partners most often leads to a lack of intimacy in the relationship. Understanding each other in a
relationship is crucial for it to last longer. Accurate perceptions of understanding are important
because feeling understood facilitates intimacy in close relationships (Holoien). People would
be more successful in interracial relationships if they took time in the relationship to comprehend
the feelings of both individuals. Interracial relationships are already fragile because of racial
tensions within the past. This racial tension always persists ad some views are carried out into
relationships which adds to the misunderstanding barrier that most people experience.
All over the world there is still a small percentage of people that stay committed to
interracial relationships. Policing the Colour Line Violence Against Those in Intimate Interracial
Relationships and Looking behind the Stereotypes of the "Angry Black Woman": An Exploration
of Black Women's Response to Interracial Relationship are articles that show the difference in
interracial relations between black men/white women and black women/white men. Globally, the
least accepted form of an interracial relationship is that of a white man being with a black
woman. Policing the Colour Line Violence Against Those in Intimate Interracial Relationships
introduces the history of racial tension within interracial relationships in the UK and the US. It
includes the contrast of how relationships with black men and white women are more common

and accepted as opposed to relationships with black women and white men. Looking behind the
Stereotypes of the "Angry Black Woman": An Exploration of Black Women's Response to
Interracial Relationship shows the perspectives of black women pertaining to interracial
relationships and why they are more likely to disapprove. The primary focus of both articles is to
examine both negative attitudes and violence towards interracial relationships. In doing so, it
shows how black women and white men in interracial relationships exhibit the most disapproval
from societal standards.
Although interracial relationships are becoming more common, there is still a barrier
when it comes to intimate relations between white men and black women. In the US in
marriages between black and white people "...the odds are 3 to 1 that the wife will be white. Out
of the 363,000 black/white marriages in existence in the US in 2000, 73.8 percent of them were
comprised of a black husband and white wife (Barbara). This reveals a problem within
interracial standards. On one hand, black men have accepted white women in intimate
relationships more than black women. There are stereotypes of black women that even black
men have accepted. These stereotypes are why black men have left black women behind to be
with white women. Maybe it is the need to have a woman that does not have faults that are
exploited. Not all, but some black men do not want to be with an angry black women.
However, it is not that black women are angry, it is just that they are perceives as so. Even the
other article agrees that black men and white women are the leading unions in interracial
relationships. Interracial relationships and marriage remain a politicized social issue in Black
communities. The majority of Black-white relationships involve a Black man and white woman
(Childs). It is also because black men are more willing to accept white women in a relationship
rather than black women who are less likely to accept white men.
Black women are delicate creatures that are extremely misunderstood when it comes to
interracial relationships. This is why black women have more problems with white men in
relationships as opposed to black men and white women in relationships. Research has
documented that Black women represent the strongest opposition toward interracial dating and
marriage (Childs). It is very hard for a black woman to find a white man that will accept her and
her flaws. Part of this is because society has created such a negative image of the black woman
that subconsciously remains in the minds of everyone. Therefore, when comparing black women
to white women, white women are perceived as more valuable and desirable. If black women are
desired by white men it is because of a negative fixation on the exotic image of the black
woman. Moreover, women of colour are also feared and reviled - or sometimes desired-on the
same basis: they are racialized, exotic Others' who do not fit the Western ideal of womanhood
(Barbara). The standard of beauty in America was a blue eyed, fair skinned, skinny woman.
Social norms are beginning to change, but no matter how an individual looks at the perception of
beauty, black women are the least desirable when it comes to all races. Not only do black women
have a problem with being the most undesirable, but they feel as though their good, black men
are being taken away from them. This is another reason for opposition of interracial relations; it
is due to a wide gap in not only the understanding of both partners but also because black women
are tired of their men being taken.

In the black communities, there are few good black men that are left for black women to
be with. A study shows black women explaining why they do not like interracial relationships.
Among the women in the college groupsnone of whom acknowledged being involved
interraciallythere was a definitive consensus that interracial relationships were problematic
(Childs). They are problematic because black women feel left behind. Blacks have a problem
with it. . . . [I] would be uncomfortable knowing someone who dated a white person because
whites just dont understand Blacks (Childs). In terms of racial backgrounds and the history and
white and black people, it is hard for some to accept white people, especially white men because
they are so privileged. Also because of the burdens that they have from their ancestors. Some
black families are very proud to be black and if a family member were to bring home a white
person, there would be concerns. My family raised me to [be] very proud of who I am, a Black
woman, and they instilled in me the belief that I would never want to be with anyone but a strong
Black man (Childs). This is because black families do not want to bring other races into their
families, just as some white families would disapprove of black individuals. Another factor of
this disapproval is that there is a lot of distrust between white people and black people. My
mom would have a problem with it; she just doesnt trust white people (Childs). Some black
communities just believe that no matter how hard a white person tries to fit in, there will always
be racist tendencies within that white person, especially white men. There are various stories
dealing with white men and black women in relationships. Most black women do not like white
men because even though they do not mean it, racist terms may be said even in an argument.
Interracial relationships are very complex dealing with disapproval, distrust, and
misunderstanding, but they can also be dangerous in some parts of the world.
Interracial couples are still in danger by the opposition. Racism plays a major part in this
danger because interracial relationships frequently evoke hostile, even violent responses
(Barbara). They evoke these behaviors especially when couples come in contact with white
conservatives. When a couple enters a neighborhood that is predominantly white, they are
immediately glared at and sneered upon. Some areas are so conservative that many hate crimes
against black people have appeared. As with hate crime generally, then, public reactions to
black and white interracial relationships are implicated in efforts to simultaneously define race
and entrench ideas of either black or white racial purity or propriety (Barbara). With this,
people of the same race try to scare off others so that they will not infect the white race in
particular. The disapproval from white communities in comparison to black communities is more
severe because of racism and white supremacy. The Ku Klux Klan is a white supremacy group
that has been terrorizing black people since the 1900s. Taking their cue from broader
antagonism toward inter-racial intimacies, White extremist groups such as Stormfront, the Ku
Klux Klan in the US and BNP in the UK are often at their most disparaging on the topic of black
and white interracial intimacies (Nagel, 2003:118) (Barbara). They will definitely act against
interracial couples because it evokes nothing but extreme disgust to them. In the past, interracial
couples were murdered constantly even after the law banning interracial marriage was lifted.
These ideologies continue to persist in vey white communities, the majority of the southern
states in the US.

There are many aspects of why interracial relationships are least common within black
women and white men relations. Most being that there is distrust and misundestanding within not
only the couples engaging in relations, but also within black communities and white
communities. It also doesnt help that American values displace a black womans desirability; to
be desired as a fetish is still seen as a negative within the perspectives of black women. In
addition, there are still violent acts against both types of interracial relationships. However, in
society, black men and white women are slightly more accepted rather than black women and
white men in intimate relationships. No matter what, interracial relationships will always be very
delicate in terms of racism and opposition.
Interracial relations will always place concern on those who oppose. But some
individuals do succeed in having unions of marriage. Those who do pursue interracial marriages
have worked out the misunderstandings of ones race in order to love each other and become
more intimate. Society still places certain standards on these relations and a large emphasis on
black men being with white women rather than white men being with black women. But, no
matter what, interracial relationships are starting to become present in modern day society
whether it is just dating or serious relationships. The subject of intimate interracial relationships
is interwoven with complexities and sensitivities that include the painful history of slavery and
post-colonial racism, myths, cultural expectations, psychological aspects of sexual attraction and
racism (Barbara). Because of this, people in interracial relationships will always have certain
concerns with their partner if they do not comply with understanding each others perspectives
on life. Interracial relations will remain problematic to society because the events that happened
in the past will never completely disappear from modern day America.

Interracial Relationships: Annotated Bibliography

Barbara, Perry, and Sutton Mike. "Policing the Colour Line Violence Against Those in Intimate
Interracial Relationships." Race, Gender & Class 15.3-4 (2008): 240-61. Web.
This article focuses on the negative perceptions of interracial relationships. These negative
attitudes can escalate towards hate crimes among the couples. It goes in depth on how society
may form different kinds of hate crimes against couples who date outside of their race. The topic
at hand is a sensitive subject as it explains the racial history of slavery with white slave masters.
It allows the reader to get an idea of where the negative views of intertwining race and intimate
relationships stems from and how they very negative attitudes leads to violence among the
community and among society in general depending on different geographical areas.

Childs, Erica. "Looking behind the Stereotypes of the "Angry Black Woman": An Exploration of
Black Women's Response to Interracial Relationships." Gender & Society 19.4 (2005):
544-61. Web.
This article shows the perspective of black women on interracial relationships. It includes why
the views are negative. It mainly deals with misunderstanding of the black woman image and
how racial tension divides black and whites. This tension is what makes it harder for black
women to get into serious relationships with white men. It compares black women and white
men in relationships and white women with black men in relationships. Studies have shown that
black women have the strongest opposition to interracial relationships. It also goes into detail on
the history of black and white unions. For example in slave times it was ok to rape black women
as opposed to a white woman being with a black man. There were harsher punishments. But
because it was a white man there is the cocept of white power which is extremely controversial
and adds to the negativity towards current relationships between white men and black women.

Field, Carolyn J, Sitawa R Kimuna, and Marissa N Lang. "The Relation of Interracial
Relationships to Intimate Partner Violence by College Students." Journal of Black
Studies 46.4 (2015): 384-403. Web.
This article is also about violence with interracial relationships. However, it is about how likely
it is for an individual to be involved in physical violence against their partner. It compares
violence in same rave relationships with violence in interracial relationships. This study reveals
that people in same race relationships are subjected to a higher percentage of domestic violence
reported altercations as opposed to interracial relationships with a much lower percentage of
violence.

Herman, and Campbell. "I Wouldnt, but You Can: Attitudes toward Interracial Relationships."
Social Science Research (2011): Social Science Research. Web.
This article goes in depth on the attitudes of whites towards dating, marring, etc., interracially. It
is compared to whites dating blacks and Asians. Also, a different comparison showed that whites
would rather date interracially rather than having a family with a partner of a different race. I
think that this study shows some underlying bias from the white side. It then compared the
attitudes of white women with interracial relationships with white men with interracial
relationships. The study shows that white women are less likely to be open to dating outside of
their race as opposed to white men that are more open to interracial dating. But in reality both
are unlikely to have interracial relations.

Holoien, Deborah Son, Hilary B. Bergsieker, J. Nicole Shelton, Jan Marie Alegre, and
Kawakami, Kerry. "Do You Really Understand? Achieving Accuracy in Interracial
Relationships." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 108.1 (2015): 76-92. Web.
This article goes over how to stay or be in a healthy interracial relationship by places importance
on understanding because if both sides do not understand each other racially that can not move
forward in the relationship. There were some studies that showed how whites did not completely
understand minority groups and their relationships were poor because of it. Other showed that
minority group were able to understand whites from their understanding. The point is, if one side
does not understand the other, the relations will not be successful at all.

Lienemann, Brianna A., and Stopp, Heather T. "The Association between Media Exposure of
Interracial Relationships and Attitudes toward Interracial Relationships." Journal of
Applied Social Psychology 43.S2 (2013): E398. Web.
This article aids in revealing how much the media really impacts views on interracial
relationships. It shows that the media shows attitudes of interracial relationships as more positive
rather than negative. It includes the contact hypothesis. The contact hypothesis states that if an
individual has continuous contact with a specific group for a long time, that individual will be
more comfortable with interacting with that specific group. In this case, it would be interaction
between whites and blacks, Because of this intergroup (black) and outgroup (white) interactions,
people are able to interact with each other with less anxiety and later on capable of developing
intimate relationships.