Interracial Relationships - Miranda Verbeten`s e

Interracial Relationships Presentation by: Miranda Verbeten Sociology 101, Professor Susic

History • Prohibition of interracial marriages lasted from 1664-1967 • During the Reconstruction Era (around 1865), white dominance was very important in order to create the racial hierarchy that was desired for the United States • 2 reasons why black and white relationships threatened white dominance: 1. 2.

Reproduction of mixed children “blurred racial distinctions” (Alpert, 2) Gave non-whites the wealth of their white spouse

• Anti-miscegenation Regime (1800-1948) • Southern states forbid black and white marriages

• Loving v. Virginia (1967) • 1958 Richard Loving married Mildred Jeter and arrested 5 weeks after returning from their wedding in Washington D.C. • Supreme Court ruled any state bans on interracial relationships a violation of the 14th Amendment

Macro

Micro

• Work Place • Communities -If relationship is discovered in the workplace then that individual -Couples often move into areas with more may lose their job or be discriminated against (Romano 11) racial diversity to reduce chances of -Depending on the race differences in the relationship a spouse of discrimination and to raise a family (Bonam) one race may earn more/less than the other • Family • Education -People of one race often claim to having a negative reaction from their family members -Teaching in schools of different races and societies could reduce people from being against ongoing interracial relationships and • Children could make people be more engaged in friendships with other races. -Better social skills and acceptance of diversity -Diversity in higher institutes of education creates less discrimination (Bonam) -Higher risks for poor health, smoking, and substance abuse (Bonam) • Law Enforcement -Interracial relationships are often neglected in criminology, bias, prejudice, and hate crime research (Perry) • Media -The presentation of mixed relationships influences the view many people have on them which in the end can influence whether or not they are discriminated against more/less

Symbolic Interactionism • Today: Acceptance of interracial relationships, but still not “promoted” -Interracial relationships are legal in all states and have increased -Most people of all types of races are more accepting -Black and white relationships are still the most challenged and least common of all interracial relationships -Twice as common in 2012 than in 2000 (Alpert) -Half of white respondents ages 50-64 claimed they would be fine with a relative being in a mixed marriage (Alpert)

• Past: Inequality among races -The 2 last states to remove the legally meaningless prohibition on mixed relationships were Alabama and South Carolina in 1998 and 2000, only 14 years before today. The South was the strongest against relationships between black and whites they did not agree to them until about 30 years later. (Romano 11) -Black males described as dangerous, powerful, and uncivilized. “black men are invading white women, the property of white men” (Perry 243)

Conflict Theory HAVES:

HAVE NOTS:

-Same race couples

-Multiracial couples

-White spouse

-Black spouse

Development of Self: Charles Cooley • The looking-glass self: a person in an interracial relationship shifts depending on the feedback and acceptance others provide when finding out about their relationship -If a family member is unsupportive of their decision than many couples find that to be a reason to not get married, or to stop the relationship they have with their family (Alpert) -People reacting negatively with labels, comments, and crimes could impact the way one views themselves and the relationship they are in (questioning whether it’s right or wrong, becoming angry, etc.) (Perry)

How does this relate to me? • I have been in a interracial relationship myself for a year and a half

Bibliography Alpert, Emily. "Interracial Couples on Rise." Los Angeles Times. 01 Sep. 2013: A.22. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 May. 2014 Bonam, Courtney M., and Margaret Shih. “Exploring Multiracial Individuals’ Comfort With Intimate Interracial Relationships.” Journal Of Social Issues 65.1 (2009): 87-103. SocINDEX with Full T ext. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. Perry, Barbara, and Mike Sutton. "Policing The Colour Line Violence Against Those In Intimate Interracial Relationships." Race, Gender & Class 15.3/4 (2008): 240-261. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 1 May 2014. Romano, Renee. "Marriage, Mixed." Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-first Century. Ed. Paul FinkelmanNew York: Oxford UP, 2008. Oxford African American Studies Center. May 01 12:47:08 EDT 2014.