According to a new Cornell University study, interracial marriage is becoming more common in the United States. The number of interracial marriage each year in the United States has jumped tenfold since the 1960s. In 1970, there were 310,000 documented cases, representing .7% of all marriages; in 1980, there were 651,000, representing 1.3% of all marriages; in 1992, there were 1,161,000, representing 2.2% of all marriages. The high rates of interracial marriage and evolving notions of race have recently forced the federal government to rethink the types of categories and classifications it will use. Under pressure from mixed-race Americans and their parents, the Census Bureau changed its rules to allow people to identify themselves by as many of the five official racial reporting categories as they think fit.
Interracial marriage can include the union of Asians, Hispanics, Blacks, Whites, and any other group. However, when people talk about race relations, the focus is on Blacks and Whites. In a poll of 1,314 Americans of varied races, 3 in 10 reported they were against black-white marriage, but were more willing to accept white-Hispanic or white-Asian marriages. Marriage between Whites and Asians, and particularly light-skinned North East Asians, is considered the least controversial. Reasons for the differences in these attitudes result from skin color, economic prosperity, and history of ethnic strife.
Black Man and Interracial Marriage
No matter what ethnic groups are involved, one major result of interracial marriage is the problems parents encounter with their mixed race children. Children from interracial marriages are sometimes denied benefits and privileges they should deserve. Tiger Woods may have changed society’s views on interracial children, but there are more serious effects on these children than what is shown by Tiger Woods. These effects and the history of interracial marriage should be the focus of government.
For anyone considering having an interracial marriage, the following consequences must be taken into consideration. First, there will be opposition and condemnation from some people in society. Secondly, children of interracial marriages are sometimes discriminated against and teased. Thirdly, people from differing cultures have unusual differences to overcome. Often, intercultural marriages, more than interracial marriages encounter greater difficulties within the relationship. Cultural practice and prejudice is often more difficult to overcome than is skin color. Finally, as the old saying goes, when you marry the person, you marry the whole family. One must be prepared to encounter familial ostracize and condemnation.
Many hold a negative point of view towards an interracial marriage and they assert that this kind of marriage is bound to end up in divorce or disaster. It is not correct of course, but it reveals partially that interracial marriage is facing challenges including some disagreement from the government. Some conservatives argue that the government should keep its nose out of people’s private lives. I agree. The government should have no role in dictating whether two individuals can marry. Anyway, interracial marriage is not a threat to the sanctity of marriage and will not upend America’s social structure.