This Associated Press article was making the rounds of the net news over the past couple of days and appeared in the Denver papers Friday. It makes the case that, while interracial marriages were out of favor for much of the history of the U.S., the increasingly diverse population of the country has made these unions much more common.
While the trend toward racially mixed marriages is on the rise, they have not grown any easier. I have been married to my lovely Asian wife for twenty four years and it hasn’t always been easy. There can be familial difficulties and challenges with entire groups who disapprove. The children of these marriages face an additional challenge in choosing how they will racially identify. Our son has decided to be Asian but could just as easily identify otherwise. I’m happy to see that he didn’t shy away from that choice and, in fact, takes great pride in his Korean heritage.
But, it’s here where the article falls short; why are we still labeling couples this way? My wife and I don’t wake up every morning and reflect on our interracial status any more than a caucasian couple looks at one another and says “Hey! We’re both white!” It appears to me that the author tipped their hand early on in the piece as to why he goes to such great lengths to highlight the difficulties that the couples face, he wants to support his early assertion that the racial divide is bigger than ever. The division of the races becomes a self-perpetuating issue guaranteed to make someone think twice before crossing any of these invisible racial lines as they think about the supposedly insurmountable challenges that an interracial relationship should bring their way. And the circle of dischord turns round again…
Technorati tags: Culture, Race, Interracial Marriage, Love
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