Novelty To Love?
By
Sherman N. Miller
During the heyday of the infamous miscegenation laws, black women were relegated to being bed wenches for white males. On the other hand, black males were hung for relationships with white women. White males, therefore, fathered a host of multi-colored children ranging from octoroons to mulattos.
Once the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the miscegenation laws, this action became a catalyst for interracial marriage. In 1970, there were 310,000 interracial married couples. By 1986, interracial married couples had grown to roughly 830,000.
Black/White interracial married couples reached 181,000 by 1986. Black husband/white wife couples dominated with 136,000 (see attached chart "Black/White Interracial Couples") versus 45,000 for white husband/black wife couples.
The black husband/white wife group outgrew their counterparts by the wide margin of 41,000 in 1970 to 136,000 in 1986 versus 24,000 to 45,000 over the same period respectively. Thus, I shall offer some observations on the black husband/white wife group. My comments will cover both non-married relationships and interracial married couples.
I see three different groups of black males entering into interracial relationships. They are: sexual exploiters, novelty seekers, and mainstreamers.
The sexual exploiters want to appear overly black in the public view but they have after hours secret rendezvous with white females. These racist black fellows are mirror images of their racist white counterparts of yesteryear. They merely exploit white women as bed wenches to serve their racist ego.
This group was pointed out to me during the debates over the ratification of the National Black Agenda that came out of The 1972 National Black Political Convention. I was the Delaware Representative on the National Steering Committee during the ratification debates. As an ardent integrationist, I found myself on a futile quest to push an integrationist welfare rights platform in a room full of Black Nationalists.
I knew I did not have sufficient votes for passage so I was speaking with all my power trying to win converts. When defeat was imminent, a national welfare rights female leader took the microphone. She chided the group about pontificating black nationalism yet sleeping white. She also threatened to name names.
I was then asked to call the vote. The welfare rights platform passed overwhelmingly.
The novelty seekers use their white wives or girlfriends to send symbolic messages to both Black America and mainstream white males. They are paranoid about showing the world they have reached mainstream socioeconomic parity. Black males over age 35 who harbor vestiges of America's racial segregationist era fit into this group.
In June, I watched an interracial couple at the Williamsburg, VA. Hilton where the black male came across as a classic novelty seeker. I guesstimate that this black fellow was in his late thirties or early forties. He personified importance in his stodgy business suit. His white ladyfriend was of average beauty and wore an expensive dress. She sat very proper in the chair next to him.
Each time they danced, I got the feeling they were going through some sort of ritual. This black fellow seemed to treat his white ladyfriend like she was nothing more than a new car or a diamond ring he wanted to show off.
Yet, in this same hotel lounge, another young black male/white female interracial couple dressed in casual clothes showed signs of true affection for each other. Their public petting came across as standard modern mainstream America because it mimicked what all white couples were doing.
The night before, I had spent an evening at the Red Baron club in Newport News, VA. I saw young interracial couples dancing who also radiated mainstream motives. People at the Red Baron seemed to have a great time regardless of race.
I am, therefore, left to conclude that the continued rise in interracial marriage means that the United States of America can expect black/white marriages to evolve from novelty to love.
