Getting My Swirl On

I've dabbled with interracial dating since I was 18 years old. I have always had the hots for men of different ethnicities but never gone all the way with very many outside of my race. My STBE was born in the Caribbean but of Indian descent. His look is confusing though because he could pass for either Puerto Rican or Mexican depending on where in the country he is. I loved that about him.

Since I've reemerged on the dating scene I have given serious thought to interracial dating. I wanna get some milk in my coffee, some adobo on my black beans, and maybe some duck sauce on my fried chicken. L-O-L!!!

But on a serious note, interracial dating is frowned upon in our community. Why? I do not know. I think it speaks to some insecurity in ourselves as a people. Truth be told, I really love seeing interracial couples. I am not the type of sister who will scowl at a black man with his arms around a white woman. I most likely would not have hooked up with him in the first place so if she is happy with him then more power to her, and to both of them. I also can't help but stare at a white male-black female couple. That is one of the rarer interracial relationships and could even be considered an anomaly.

I do find it visually appealing to see two different skin shades next to each other. Call me a Benetton ad fanatic but I think it's just awesome! I think if we get past our visual and mental barriers, we will find out that deep down we are very much alike. Maybe not exactly to the tee, but core ethics are usually the same across racial boundaries.

Going back to statistics, African American women are less likely than any other racial group to marry, much less to marry a Caucasian man.

"According to a recent Yale study, 42 percent of African-American women have yet to be married, compared to only 23 percent of white women. There's also a gap in numbers. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 1.8 million more African-American women than black men." ₁

Black women in America cut themselves short by restricting themselves to dating solely in their own racial group, which might I add is already severely limited. Now, I am not suggesting that every black woman should run out and get a white man. Nor am I glamorizing the men of other races and falsely implying that they are better than our own brothers. There are good guys and bad guys of every race. What I am suggesting however, is that we let our inhibitions go and get to know men of different ethnicities. Celebrate the beauty in diversity and get out of your cultural comfort zone. You'd never know that you and someone (who you would ordinarily never dream of dating) could hit it off if you don't try it!