BLACK LOVE

Relationships That Face the Ebb and Flow of Time

By Lorraine Jones

The mysteries of love defy logic. No one has yet figured out why men and women, despite their differences, bond together and form a family. Goodness knows that there are enough things to pull them apart: racial and ethnic prejudice, religion, work and money, children, personality and culture, and circumstances of birth and class, to name just a few.

The trumph is that all of this has been overcome, because what really counts in the end is that two people found each other in a lonely world of 7 billion. That, as they say, has made all the difference.

The point of this article is not to pass judgment on human choices but rather to point out the many permutations of the thing we call Black Love.

Overcoming Black Stereotypes

For generations, a strength of the black community has been the strong relationships of couples who have a deep emotional connection, a shared culture, empathy, and profound love and respect for one another Despite racist stereotypes that consistently portray black romantic relationships as weak and dysfunctional, countless examples of successful black relationships also exist and belie those stereotypes.

Fortunately, over the years, black sitcoms such as Good Times, Family Matters and The Cosby Show have also countered these racist stereotypes with positive representations of black relationships that many people needed to see

DEROGATORY RACIAL STEREOTYPES, such as THE ONES DEPICTING BLACK MEN AS KING KONG AND BLACK WOMEN AS SAVAGES AND THEREFORE LESS DESIRABLE THAN WHITE WOMEN, PERMEATE TO THIS DAY

DEPENDING ON LOCATION, PROPERTY IS LESS LIKELY TO BE AN INHERITANCE, AND RENTAL HOMES ARE A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE UNLESS IT'S AN HBCU, COLLEGE ADMISSION IS MORE THE RESULT OF MERIT OR FINANCIAL AID THAN LEGACY

MORE COUPLES ARE LIKELY TO BE WORKING JOBS OR RUNNING BUSINESSES SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW $100,000 ANNUALLY

PROPERTY IS OFTEN INHERITED, GIVING MANY FAMILIES SECURITY AND A FINANCIAL HEAD START CHILDREN OF ALUMNI (LEGACIES) ARE OFTEN GIVEN PREFERENCE IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND ARE ABLE TO AFFORD TUITION OUT-OFPOCKET

CHILDREN ARE MORE LIKELY TO INHERIT JOBS AND BUSINESSES FROM THEIR PARENTS