The Loving v. Virginia court case in 1967, where interracial couple Mildred and Richard Loving fought against miscegenation laws for the right to be married regardless of their opposing races, was revolutionary for all interracial couples.
The idea of having a significant other outside of your own race was unheard of, but now in the 21st century, it is a growing phenomenon.
In 2010, the U.S. census calculated that the number of interracial couples had reached a high of 35 percent and it has continued to grow ever since.
Personally, I am in an interracial relationship with an extremely caring person, Mark Cayne, a senior communication student. Cayne continues to brighten up my life and makes every day together an adventure.
I am white with an Italian and Puerto Rican background, while he is black with an African American background.
Interracial couples throughout history have always been taboo and controversial within society, and although times are changing, there are still many people with a traditional mindset that find this type of relationship wrong.
There have been moments where people have ridiculed our relationship, which is disheartening.
Despite the few that were disapproving toward our lifestyle, we have received an overwhelming amount of support from family, friends, and most people we encounter as a couple.
Communication adjunct professor, Katherine Nogueira, elaborated on how the perspective on interracial couples has evolved throughout generations.
While comparing past and present views, Nogueira stated, “Thinking about my parents’ generation, thinking about my friends’ parents, I don’t know a ton of interracial couples thinking back to their age, but thinking about people that I know, that are more my peers, certainly, I feel like it’s a lot more common.”
Nogueira explained how she, along with most people in the younger generations, are more open to change and diversity.
“I think it’s a millennial thing…I’m so used to it because I know so many people in interracial couples that I think it’s wonderful… it’s really hard for me to think about anything like that, like interracial couples or same-sex couples and think about people judging it, that’s hard for me to understand why people would do that,” she said.
Daniel Arnold, a senior homeland security student was previously in an interracial relationship for about three years.
Before discussing his past, Arnold’s thoughts on interracial relationships were simple and sincere.
“I think it’s good, it’s fine, people can be happy with who they want to be happy with,” Arnold said.
Since he had been in an interracial relationship in the past, it was a huge possibility that he and his partner were discriminated against.
Arnold denied any discrimination against him and his parter, “I didn’t experience any prejudice whatsoever,” he said.
One noteworthy perk of being in an interracial relationship is the opportunity each partner is given to be exposed to diverse cultural learnings.
The amount of knowledge I have gained from my boyfriend’s’ family and friends is infinite and will always be something that I value.
Of course, this is not the only type of interracial relationship. Other students reported having parents of Asian and Hispanic heritage, others Indian and Caucasion, and so on and so forth. While this may be one of the most famed stories and combinations, this certainly is not the only one.
First year Masters of Social Work graduate student, Marlena Mignano, also acknowledged the amount of culture one is exposed to when he or she is a part of an interracial relationship.
Mignano said, “I think that they’re kind of a rarity to find, a lot of people are becoming more open to that idea… I think it’s really beautiful that people are sharing their cultures and are learning from each other.”
Overall, it seems that the world is beginning to appreciate love in all different forms. Much of the newer generations have grown to be more accepting of the others around them, it seems.
Love is a beautiful, unique feeling and can be hard to find. Don’t reject it, embrace it.
PHOTO COUTRESY of Kara D’Antoni
