Essay about interracial marriages

Can you imagine not being able to share your life with the person you love because of the color of your skin? Well, this was the case for those who resided in Virginia decades ago. Interracial marriages were not allowed in Virginia and sixteen other states due to the adoption of the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. The sole purpose of this act was to completely prohibit a "white person" marrying other than another "white person". Marriage licenses were not issued until the issuing official is content with the applications statements as to if their races are "correct". Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Jeter, a black woman, was not going to let the state of Virginia stop them from being married, so they left

Richard and Mildred Loving, a biracial couple, changed millions of lives in 1976 when they triumphed in the federal case, “Loving vs. Virginia” at the Supreme Court. Their case ended the anti-miscegenation laws created in the 1930s which outlawed interracial marriages. Nearly fifty years later, the U.S Census shows that there were 2.3 million interracial marriages in 2007 which is seven times the number calculated in 1970. This figure, many would say, is a sign of hope for a society has become more accepting and less racist. But how realistic is that idea? Many minorities still face racism and constant oppression every day of their lives. As our culture is constantly forming and changing, there emerge issues with how we understand race and ethnicity. While the concept of race is simply a social construct, with no real science behind it, its societal repercussions are entirely real due to the challenges that comes with it. This system of classification has progressed through centuries and led to the social, economic, and political prejudice against people of color, and further, has institutionalized racism to and systematized the oppression of these people.

I found my situation very thought-provoking that my family fell within the “51%” of African American kids that were raised by a single mother. Additionally, it was even more interesting that I fell within the “390,000” of black American male that is in an interracial relationship. Furthermore, Black Demographics (n.d.) states that “while black men marry white women at twice the rate of Black women, only 7% of married Black men had White (non-Hispanic) spouses in 2014. About 14% percent of African American men married non-Black or Hispanic women in 2014. It is Asian women who have the highest rates of intermarriage which is twice that of Black men”. As a result, the interracial relationship between black and white Americans has held strong.

Since the Loving V. Virginia case was settled in favor of Loving, interracial marriage became legal. Today more people are choosing to find their spouse outside of their race.

The formation of pan-ethnic and pan-minority boundaries, as well as intermarriage, also has important implications for changing racial landscapes and race relations of the United States. On one hand, newly emerging racial order along the axes of socioeconomic status and interracial attitudes and relations suggests that Asian American pan-ethnic boundaries may be shifting or being redefined altogether. On the other hand, interracial marriage patterns and the ways in which intermarried individuals discuss their mixed unions reveal that black exceptionalism in the (inter)marriage market is likely to continue.

According to 2000 U.S. census, 2.4 % of the US population which report themselves as people who have two or more races. (United States). The number of interracial couples has reached to 1.6 million, which account for almost 4 % of U.S. marriages. ( Fletcher, par. 3 ). In a melting pot country like the United States, where immigration and emigration rates are high, inter-cultural marriage has become an inevitable by- product of mobility. Interracial marriage refers to a marriage which consists of couples with two different racial backgrounds. For example, a Chinese women married to an American. While the intermarried couples have to adapt their racial differences, their cultural background would assert a

Additionally, there have been theoretical proposals for the existence of other predictors of attitudes and actions, which may be relevant to the current research. Recent studies have found that controlling for other variables, significant predictors of opposition to a law banning interracial marriage include being non-white, being younger, holding a liberal ideology, identifying as a democrat, having greater income, having a greater level of education, being less religious, and living outside of the South (Haider-Markel and Joslyn 2005). For some of these predictors, theoretical explanations have been proposed. Various researchers have conducted investigations into the many aspects of this type of relationship and have concluded that an increase in interracial marriages has occurred. This increase may be the result of numerous factors, including the Supreme Court lifting of the legal restrictions on racial intermarriage in 1967, the decrease in White prejudice against Blacks, and the narrowing of the racial gap in education, income, and occupation (Kalmijn 1993). However, Kalmijn (1993) states that although these factors may have resulted in an increase in interracial marriages, other factors may counter this effect. For instance, there has been an increase in Black unemployment, a rise in the racial gap of college enrollment, and part of

In a marriage, the acceptance of family towards each other is vital to the well being of the bride and groom. In a marriage, the family must interact with one another in order to show support for the bride and groom through tribulations they may face along the way. Most females, who are very close with their mothers or fathers, must get their approval of the groom in order to consider the marriage. If the mother or father of the bride is biased to other cultures or religions, it might be hard for the bride to receive approval. “My mother…thinks everybody in the community, everywhere, thinks that us being together is very wrong…She has been anything but supportive; she has been nasty” (Rosenblatt, Karis, and Powell 65). When parents think of their child getting married, they think of grandchildren. Parents often worry because biracial children have been known to grow up in difficult situations. Parents of the bride and groom consider the trials and tribulations that their grandchildren will go through. In which case, they do not agree with

“ American society is becoming more diverse, and workplaces, schools, and other arenas are fairly open so people can meet others of different races on one- to- one levels,” ( Passel, 2). Interracial marriage seems to be a topic that is often “set aside” until another complaint or testimony is filed. Racism has been an issue throughout the country for over 90 years. Interracial marriage should be legal, because all races are as human as another, it’s racist to make it illegal, and the descendants of interracial couples are more open to cultural studies and conversation.

Guess who’s coming to dinner? If you were around in the 1960’s you might know of this movie. It is about a Caucasian female who brings her African American fiance to meet her parents. This movie was made in a period of time when interracial marriages were very controversial, so her family felt a multitude of emotions. How would your family feel in this situation? Would they be willing to accept you? The whole purpose of this movie is to show that love is blind, and that love should not be based off color and skin pigmentation. People may all look different on the outside but we are all made up the same on the inside and that's all that matters. Interracial marriages have been nothing but a beneficial impact on America, because of the diversity it brings to the country. These diverse relationships have required many people to step outside of their comfort zone and embrace these couples, but

Besides, the trend of interracial marriages is supposed to change the social norm. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, there was 12 percent increase in interracial marriage in 2013. Many recent surveys also show the growing acceptance among the public. Interestingly, one of the most relevant work in Hollywood recently is Loving, a historical-drama movie. It portrays a true story of an interracial couple, who by fighting for the right to live together won the Supreme Court in 1967. This movie is a good sign that there were and are people who dedicate in creating a better society. It is also a reminder that we can take an advantage of media to educate people about races and racism.

18.3% of Blacks favor such a law. By 1994, the collected data showed 14.7% and

The two articles used were “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation” (Lewis, Ford- Robinson, 2010) and “Marital Dissolution among Interracial Couples” (Zhang, Van Hook, 2009). The first article “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation”, spoke about the unprecedented changes that our society is going though in the 21st century.

Henriken explains that “In U.S. Census Bureau (2000) data, the number of interracial marriages rose to slightly more than 3,000,000 and comprised approximately 5.5 percent of all marriages” (Henriksen jr., n.d.). In 1990, the interracial law was passed, and after the year of 2000, 3,000,000 interracial marriages took place. You can tell from the number that this law was much needed for those who liked someone from different race or culture. The number of interracial marriage has been increasing and society have start accepting them. People should remember that a couple is made up of two people, not two races or cultures.

The ways America shows their attitudes toward interracial marriage and illustrate an awkward historical moment and the changing nature of race relations in the United States is by the disconnection between Americans’ attitudes toward interracial marriage and their behavior illustrates the awkward historical moment that we currently inhabit. On the one hand, in the four decades since the U.S. Supreme Court declared laws prohibiting interracial marriage unconstitutional, the number of interracial families in the United States has rapidly increased, interracial dating on college campuses has become more common, and attitudes toward interracial marriage have improved. On the other hand, interracial families continue to report unique external pressures due to the persistence of racism and negotiations over the classification of their mixed-race children. As a result, interracial couplings continue to be the rare exception (and certainly not the rule) when it comes to marriage in the United States.