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Dating/Marrying Outside Your Race: Yay or Nay? What do YOU say?
Well, I’m sure you know what I say, but let me start from my childhood. Growing up, I never saw the difference between black and white… rather I was taught there was no different. Even though I am fully African American, my older sister and I are the only ones that are. My first step father is half white/half Japanese. Yep, you guessed it! He himself was a product of marrying outside your race. So I was raised that it doesn’t matter who you love or who you marry. Each person is for you and you only. Below is a picture of most of my brothers and sisters. Super old picture but you get the point 
With that being said, I never went out looking for a specific race to date. I was friends with whomever I wanted to be friends with and that was final. My husband Paul was the first person I ever dated seriously and I never saw his race, I saw his heart. I can’t say that we had an easy time of it all but I will tell you that it wasn’t all because of the race: we also got married at the age of 19, so all odds weren’t in our favor. Times are different though and I think people had more issues for my age then they did with race. I still get the occasional looks, especially when its my husband and my kids with me but I don’t mind. I know who I am and who my husband is and race has nothing to do with the love in our hearts.
First of all, I LOVE that photo! How many siblings do you have anyway?
Oh and about your marriage, I bet you got hassled about marrying too young… but you’ve proved them all wrong because you have a beautiful family! Thanks for linking up this week
Danielle @ We Have It All recently posted..Interracial Dating/Marriage: Yay or Nay?
OMG me total I have 11 half or step brothers and sisters. Yes, there are a lot of us!
I don’t see race either. I live in an area where it’s common to hear racial slurs used in everyday language. It makes me crazy. All the people around here see is your race, sexual orientation, or economic status. Very little is ever done to get to know the person underneath those things. If you are black, it’s assumed that you must be a thug. I even had someone say “I work with a black person…they don’t talk black.” Yeah….awesome. I try my very best to teach my children that the color of your skin is just like the color of your eyes. It makes up what you look like on the outside, not who you are on the inside.
I have enjoyed linking up with you for Flash Foto Fridays and often read your other posts. When I saw this one I was very interested to hear your thoughts. Funny but I grew up in Texas in a little town that had several different races and we were pretty poor. I didn’t really think much about race until I was a teen and moved to MN. I lived in a town that was mostly white but was very near a reservation. It was strange to me that people there were negative about race.
I agree with you and your commentors: Race is the color of your skin but it is more too. it can be the way you’re raised too. We are all raised in a culture. I would love to see people celebrate their differences and stop labeling people based on their outsides.
Awsome post!