I disagree with interracial dating, mainly because in my life, women of other races cannot relate to me the way women of my race can. Although I am not a racist, I am a realist. I realize that in today’s society black men such as I have been subjected to several injustices. It is because of these injustices I feel only a black woman can understand and empathize with my daily struggles of being a minority. The fact a black woman can relate to my struggles would make it easier for her to give me the support that is needed.
I was involved in an interracial relationship my senior year in high school. At first it was cool. She was cute and we were having fun. But the closer we became, the more evident it became that things are not always what they seem. We just could not relate to each other. First it started as just a few minor things. It eventually led to the fact she looked at the world from a totally different perspective than I did. The gap was just too big for us to close. From that point on, I started to gain a whole new respect for black women.
I always felt like there were three types of needs that everyone in this world has in order to be fulfilled. Those are emotional, physical, and intellectual needs. Personally, I feel that a woman of any race can satisfy two of the three needs. Those two needs being physical and intellectual. But those two only really scratch the surface of my existence.
Emotional support is imperative to me as I try to survive in this stressful world. This anchor of my soul is supplied by the emotional support of my African-American queen. Only a black woman could understand me emotionally.
To formulate my decision, I had to look back at my parents. They are the foundation of most of my beliefs. My parents have been successfully married for thirty years, and I find that remarkable, especially in this day and age. But the thirty years were not accumulated without a lot of bumps and bruises. But all in all, I think that one of their keys to success is the fact that each of them is knowledgeable about the historical disposition of the other. And I think that in many cases interracial relationships lack this foundation.
Jermaine Jack, 21, is a senior criminal justice student from Baton Rouge, La. He can be reached at Jtwice22@hotmail.com.