Why does every black person got to be African American? lol. I’m just sayin’… I mean, even in this very post right here, Garcelle Beauvais is Black but from the Caribbean.

I am not sure whether or not you are making a distinction between Black [American] and African [not American]. For the record, I am a Black, American woman.

Anyway, certainly, true love can “just happen” across the color line… However, let’s talk truth: There ARE black men AND women who date/marry white people because they believe that their own people are less valuable, and that other races, especially white people, are superior and/or more attractive. In this country, the historical treatment of people of African descent/black people created our self-hatred phenomenon, and white notions of superiority, and both still exist today.

Black women were devalued historically, and are still considered less valuable/desirable than women of other races. In the arena of interracial dating, black women are still the last chosen… and statistics show this to be true, so it is not just some angry black women who see a few brothers dating white women, and make a generalization. Yes, the numbers of black women dating non-black men are increasing, but as EZ Rawlins pointed out above, at 8:42am,

“… the numbers should balance out on both sides. If famous black men can date/marry unknown whites, then the reverse should also be true – otherwise this phenomenon leaves itself open to all kinds of speculation and interpretation…” The reverse isn’t true. Famous white men aren’t flocking to the sisters in the same numbers… and NO, you cannot say that it is because something is wrong with black women – poor attitude, uneducated, bisexual, etc. Statistically, that is more likely to be true of black men, than black women, but that is a different conversation.

Undeniably, black people have a long way to go, in terms of loving, appreciating, valuing, and wanting each other.

SMDH pointed out (May 5 at 10:38am)

“… there are races that are prouder than us and definitely don’t feel like their kids have to be half white before they are beautiful..”

Moreover, the reason SOME black women celebrate when a black woman dates a white man is because it is SYMBOLIC acknowledgement of our beauty and value… which has long been denied. Conversely, white women have been put on a pedestal from time immemorial.

Giving equal treatment to the brothers, many of them date/marry white because achievement/success/opportunity was long denied them, and a white woman, unfortunately, symbolizes success for them.

To quote Got Damn (May 5 at 8:54am)

“WHITE WOMEN ARE THE NEW ACCESSORY. BLACK MEN STILL HAVE THAT SLAVE MENTALITY PUTTING WHITE WOMEN UP ON A PEDASTAL.”

My only point is that we cannot ignore history if we are to understand the present.

It is convenient for non-black/white people to ignore history, and just point out what is wrong with black people. It is important to acknowledge that ANY group of people who had been treated the way Black people were treated in this country would be equally dysfunctional. In some cases, the phenomenon and pattern of interracial dating among black people is evidence of this very painful, dysfunctional reality that has the ability to destroy us if we do not WAKE UP.

History is NOT an excuse not to get it together, but it IS definitely a strong contributing factor to the current state of affairs.

That is much more than I intended to say…