Black men white women: what's behind the new furor?

Ebony, Nov, 1994 by Lynn Norment

IN the midst of all of O.J. Simpson's legal and career problems, what seems to bother Black women the most is the fact that Nicole Brown Simpson was White. And quite a few Black women are appalled that handsome hunk Barry Bonds, who has a $43 million, six-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, was ordered by the court to pay his estranged White wife $30,000 a month.

These and other recent events, and the Simpson case in particular, have reignited the old question of Black and White relationships, especially well-to-do Black men and White women. On college campuses across the country, in office buildings, corporate suites, factory work stations and beauty shops, African-American women once again are strongly expressing concern and even displeasure over a continuing, and obviously increasing, phenomenon. Interracial dating has been on the increase since the Civil Rights Movement of the '50s and '60s. But today, in 1994, the opposition to such relationships may be as strong as ever in both Black and White communities.

But it must be emphasized that the vast majority of Black men, including entertainers, athletes and high-powered professionals, do not date and marry White women. In fact, the most accomplished Black men are married to beautiful Black women, including Bill Cosby, Denzel Washington, Michael Jordan, Spike Lee, David Justice, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Gen. Colin Powell, Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown and members of the Congressional Black Caucus. It is also significant that most Black executives at Black and White corporations are married to Black women.

Yet, in the minds of Black women, "this thing with Black men and White women has reached epidemic proportions," says social psychologist Dr. Julia Hare, "because we have so many beautiful Black women of all sizes, shapes and colors, and there are not enough eligible and suitable Black men to go around. There is a man shortage, and it is especially acute for the college-educated, professional Black woman."

Dr. Halford Fairchild, an associate professor of psychology and Black studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., agrees with Dr. Hare's assessment. He says the Black man/White woman relationship is a recurring theme and a source of friction among many Black female college students. "Black men are underrepresented on campuses and in the professions," Dr. Fairchild says. "The rarity makes them a hot commodity, and they are sought after by both Black women and non-Black women.

"Many Black women find themselves without sexual partners, for the pool is small for Black women," continues Dr. Fairchild. "Many are sexually frustrated or have chronic problems in their lives. When they see a Black man with a White woman, it symbolizes all of the problems they are experiencing and creates resentment."

Talk to almost any Black woman anywhere in the U.S., and the resentment is obvious. But so is the shortage of Black men. Thousands are locked up in prisons and jails, while thousands more have chosen lives filled with crime and drugs. Some experts say there are between 35 to 45 single Black men who are in college or have jobs for every 100 Black women. The more education and income a Black woman has, the fewer eligible Black men on her level.

That's why it is especially disturbing to many that there appears to be a greater number of well-educated, employed Black men who have chosen to date and marry White women. Through the news media we are inundated with entertainers and athletes who have crossed the color line for love. In addition to O.J. Simpson and Barry Bonds, there are Michael Jackson, Sidney Poitier, Quincy Jones, Gregory Hines, Al Jarreau, Frank Thomas and Montel Williams--and a host of others. Williams emotionally blasted critics and defended his wife, a former topless dancer, saying, "I really don't care what people think about our races; I don't care what people think about her profession."

Moreover, a significant number of Black professionals, such a doctors, lawyers and bankers, are married to White women. Of particular note is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, whose wife was quite visible at his side during his confirmation hearings that featured sexual harassment testimony by Black law professor Anita Hill.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, interracial marriages have tripled since 1970, and Black-White unions have quadrupled in the last 25 years. Of the approximately 1.3 million interracial couples, roughly 260,000 (only about 2 percent of total marriages) are Black-White and about 171,000 of those are between Black men and White women. The statistics, however, do not reflect the increasing number of interracial couples who are dating or living together.

This year marks the 27th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared unconstitutional laws barring racial internarriage in Virginia and 15 other states. The 1967 ruling came about after a mixed couple in Central Point, Va., Richard and Mildred Loving (she is Black), challenged Virginia's 1924 antimiscegenation statute in response to their being forced by local law officials to live apart, go to jail or leave the state.