Love Beyond Colors

The social problem of discrimination against blacks in America is an old one and is one that has crossed not only politics but also relationships.

For decades, African American women have been sternly cautioned against interracial dating. But America is slowly being liberal, at least, when it comes to dating. In a census of the 1960's, there were only 26,000 white husband-black wife couples. Then the Supreme Court dismissed the anti-mixed marriage law, and the number in 2000 has grown to 95,000. And in 2006, it was 117,000.

Why are more and more women breaking the norms? An article released in the Chicago Tribune points out how single black women appear to follow their favorite black celebrities, such as tennis star Venus Williams and actress Shar Jackson. Blogs which support blacks, interracially-themed novels, as well as how-to books also contribute to black women's confidence.

Another factor could be the declining population of single black men. Statistics reveal that the number of dateable (and marriageable) black men is decreasing. Black men are almost seven times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. Financial matters also count. Black men are twice more likely to be unemployed than white men.

College, the place where many women find their future spouses, also poses an imbalanced black male to black female ratio. College statistics in 2004 show that 26.5 percent of black men (aged between 18 and 24) were enrolled compared to 36.5 percent of black women.

In addition, more and more successful black men prefer dating blonds over women of their own color. In fact, in 2006, almost 75 percent of the 403,000 black-white couples consisted of black men. Some claim that having a white wife is an important status symbol. Even among black men and black women, certain tensions are present. That is why more and more single black women are broadening their dating field.

Posted at 4:07 PM on Aug 21, 2007 By 5StarDating.com