Interracial Marriages Surge Across U.S. (by David Crary, AP - 4.12.07)
NEW YORK (AP) - The charisma king of the 2008 presidential field. The world's best golfer. The captain of the New York Yankees. Besides superstardom, Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter have another common bond: Each is the child of an interracial marriage.
For most of U.S. history, in most communities, such unions were taboo.
It was only 40 years ago—on June 12, 1967—that the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down a Virginia statute barring whites from marrying nonwhites. The decision also overturned similar bans in 15 other states.
Since that landmark Loving v. Virginia ruling, the number of interracial marriages has soared; for example, black-white marriages increased from 65,000 in 1970 to 422,000 in 2005, according to Census Bureau figures. Factoring in all racial combinations, Stanford University sociologist Michael Rosenfeld calculates that more than 7 percent of America's 59 million married couples in 2005 were interracial, compared to less than 2 percent in 1970.
Coupled with a steady flow of immigrants from all parts of the world, the surge of interracial marriages and multiracial children is producing a 21st century America more diverse than ever, with the potential to become less stratified by race.
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I have read this article and am disturbed by it. Does it matter who anyone marries as long as they are both happy and in love. "Surge" seems to have more than one meaning; increase in numbers and increase in popularity. Maybe "Surge" means that it is "trendy" to be in an interracial marriage. The article seems to show a social acceptance of the relationships.
ReplyDeleteIt has often been a mystery to me why people care what race, religion, or ethnicity is important when two people come together as one. If this was important enough to enact laws about it by previous generations of Americans, then our forefathers were imbeciles. They should have never left Great Britain. Our forefathers ancestors have bedded with all races within the West Indies, Caribbean, and Asia and never blinked an eye about them in the mother country. I guess there were no barriers in previous centuries. Maybe Americans should learn to beleive in tolerance and understanding instead of prejudging everyone. Maybe the title of the article should have been "Interracial Marriages make Beautiful Children." This would have pointed the direction of the article in a more positive direction as opposed to possibly disturbinig me and others that have seen it.
By the way, I have been in the "Surge" since 1984 and couldn't be happier as are mine and my wife's parents.
I am a bit disturbed by this article. First off, the word "Surge" has more than one meaning; it means increase in numbers or maybe increase in popularity. Why is it so important why race, religion, or ethnicity is important when two people come together as one. When did love become second fiddle to social acceptance. I guess to some from earlier generations, it was felt that laws had to be enacted to prevent thse types of unions. I guess that makes us hypocrites since our forefathers' ancestors bedded with any race from the East Indies, West Indies, Asia, South America, Africa and the Caribbean.
ReplyDeleteI have always been amazed how narrow minded some people can be to even consider this an important article to publish. Isn't it more important to publish information about how unemployment is lower but there are still millions of Americans out of work. Or that there are still tens of millions of illegal immigrants that are in the work force and not paying taxes. Or how about that our president has not been impeached for wire tapping. I guess the lives of some people are dull that self improvement, self help, and reducing their pride to accept a job that they feel may be beneath them is foolish but it is easier to be a drain on the greatest country in the world. Yes, let's think of the important things. By the way, I have been in an interracial marriage since 1984 and woultdn;t have it any other way. Not that it matters, mine and my wife's parents couldn't be happier.