Originally posted on MaseTV 6/18/16

Having been in an interracial relationship for almost six years, and always being told by my family growing up that “You gonna bring home a white boy”, I’ve never really seen a big deal with dating outside of your race. I’ve always felt that any type of interracial couple would just look hot and exotic together while breaking so many stereotypical lines…… and interracial babies are always gorgeous (they’re like God’s photoshop). Dating outside of my race was always my thing from young, so falling in love with my boyfriend who’s half German and half Puerto Rican felt like my dream come true. I get excited by learning about different cultures and educating someone outside my race on my culture. That’s the true joy of interracial dating.

My boyfriend and I get a lot of compliments on how we look together, but I’ve also noticed that interracial dating is still an issue in major parts of America.  CNN recently reported on how racism is still alive and well in 2013, and interracial couples have become a subject in the matter.

A recent Cheerios ad depicting an interracial couple and their multiracial child got so many racist remarks on YouTube that the company had to disable the comments. There is nothing out of the ordinary about the commercial, except that the parents happen to be an interracial couple. But the truth is, racially blended families are becoming more ordinary every day, due to the 1967 Supreme Court decision that declared all laws against interracial marriage unconstitutional.

Last week was the 46th anniversary of that decision, and one in seven new marriages in the United States is interracial or interethnic.  Multiracial Americans are the fastest-growing youth demographic!!!

The weddings of two multiracial couples from high-profile families also prompted racist comments online. Lindsay Marie Boehner, daughter of House Speaker John Boehner, married Dominic Lakhan, a black Jamaican man. And Jack McCain, son of Sen. John McCain, married Renee Swift, a woman of color.

The reaction to these marriages is reminiscent of the response to the marriage of Peggy Rusk, the daughter of then-Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and Guy Smith, a black man. In 1967, their interracial marriage was a cover story, several months after laws against interracial marriage were struck down.

In a recent in-depth interview piece, Oprah Winfrey aired a segment on interracial couples, and one white male explained his attraction to African-American women.

My boyfriend says that he’s always been attracted to Black women. He loves everything about us from our lips to our body shapes, and our strong attitudes (at times LOL). I love dating a man outside of my race and having the privilege to learn and understand new cultures and customs. It helps give me a better understanding of life and helps me with how I have learned to handle issues. It helps to step outside of your norm and enter the world of another family who has their own culture and way of living. It opens your eyes so much to how much cultural beauty we have in the world around us.

If you haven’t dated outside of your race, then I recommend you try it. Especially to my ladies…..wink wink!!! 😉