There is absolutely nothing wrong with interracial relationships – except that people feel the need to spew hate at people they don’t know.
I know, because I’ve been there. Every time I’d see an interracial couple I’d get pretty ticked off.
I justified this because whites enslaved blacks. Institutional slavery exists in this country. White and Asian storeowners always followed me around in their shops. Tallahassee is one of the most segregated places I’ve ever been to, and rednecks are not in short supply.
So, I knew I’d never be with any man that wasn’t black.
When I stopped looking and asked God to send me a good, God-fearing, Christian man who complements my personality and is everything He would want for me, He sent me everything I’d asked to have. Only the man of my dreams turned out to be white with piercing blue eyes from small-town Iowa.
We met while we were interning in Washington, D.C., and instantly became friends.
We weren’t even together, but we were getting a lot of hate from white and black people. So, it was hard at first, to accept that we were meant to be.
I remembered that my parents taught me to think independently of others’ opinions. They said not to fall into society’s traps because God, not man, is the creator of all things.
I’ve experienced discrimination at the hands of white, black, Hispanic, Asian and other people. If I were going to write white people off then, logically, I should also write off the others. So, I worked out my racist feelings and accepted people for who they are and not for their color. It has made me a better person.
Just because my man is white doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand me. I can’t feel what it’s like to be a white person and he can’t feel what it’s like to be a black person. Still, we understand one another’s feelings, problems and successes because we are human.
I’m not with him because I hate my blackness. On the contrary, I love my blackness enough to know that those who are not black can love it and me too. My color is not the entirety of my existence. I am so much more.
The way I see it, people can keep their hate. I’d rather have love.
Augustine Rho, 22, is a senior broadcast journalism student from FT. Lauderdale, Fla. She is the Opinions Editor. She can be reached at rhoblaze@aol.com.