Something to learn about interracial marriages between blacks and other races

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Interracial marriage has been a very hot debate, especially among Pan-African thinkers where some support it, some reasonably oppose and some strongly disagree with it. Those who fully support interracial marriages have in their mind the call to interracial unity while those who fully oppose, believe in racial purity. The pundits who fairly oppose or somewhat support interracial marriages have left the decision of marriage to the discretion of individuals.


Interracial marriages
Interracial Couple (Photo Credits)

An understanding of interracial marriages

It was just on June 12, 1967, that the supreme court in America legalized interracial marriages in the country. In the United States, laws against interracial marriage had been in place since the 1600s with Maryland State banning them in 1691. In the court case, Loving vs VirginiaMildred Loving, a woman of color, and her white husband, Richard Loving, were sentenced to a year in prison in Virginia for having an interracial relationship. However, the couple appealed their conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court and the results gave birth to a turnover of events in the United States.


Interracial marriages between blacks and whites have suffered much worse repercussions throughout history. It ended up costing the life of either of the couple. At most times, it was the black fiance that suffered the most. In The Godfather of Harlem Sn 1, a dramatization of black life in Harlem in the mid-20th century, a black boy (Teddy) falls in love with an Italian drug lord's daughter named Stella Gigante. The two love birds struggle to keep their relationship amidst opposition from both sides of the family.


The prejudice on the side of Stella's family was largely informed by racism; the idea that since Teddy is a black person, he was not worth dating an Italian woman. On the other side, Teddy's mother's decision against her son's relationship was affected by the same, prejudice. She was too much concerned about her son, constantly reminding him that it was unsafe for a black man to date a white woman. The end of this relationship was gruesome, Teddy was shot dead for the same reasons that his mother feared. His death really affected Stella.


Some scholarly opinions on interracial marriages

Apart from historical prejudice, some African scholars have different perspectives on racism and interracial marriages. Hon. Marcus Garvey is quoted in ‘Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey’ classifying interracial marriages as acts of racial suicide. He further explains that the act of black men marrying white women is like challenging the white man for the hand of his women. 


In ‘The Isis (Yssis) Papers: The Keys to the Colors’, Dr. Cress talks about racism and the unseen attacks on black males, exposing the whole agenda as a form of racial annihilation of blacks and people of color. In her opinion, blacks should preserve their race, and there should be more strong black families. 


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Dr. Umar Johnson modern Pan-African thinker on the subject of racism, teaches that the basic unit of building powerful black societies is the black family. This means that if we have broken families, or more interracial marriages, then our strength as a race will also be wanting.


Intermixing is a 'recipe' for greatness

Globalization has seen many people from different perspectives interact. It is evident that the interactions among people have brought development and progress in those areas. In history, I would like to cite the case of Ancient Egypt and the Swahili Civilization. Ancient Egypt achieved its greatness when people across the continent and the world (black and white) came together and formed a union. The Swahili Civilization in East Africa is one other example. Swahili tribes, who are attributed to the magnificent civilization, were made up of multiracial communities that settled around East Africa.


In modern times, the United States of America is an outstanding example of the benefits of interracial unity. When different races (Africans, Whites, and Native Americans) came together, a world superpower was built. I believe that this should act as a guide for forming decisions on interracial marriages. Furthermore, we are not even different. Why the prejudice? As South African freedom hero, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe said:


There is only one race: The human race.

 

The decision of marriage should be left to an individual. 

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