Vinay Harpalani: Unrecognized faces struggling for equity

Last week, Check One, a student group focusing on multiracial/multiethnic issues, held its annual forum on relationships. I have attended Check One's forum for many years now, watching it expand from a discussion about interracial dating to include a more diverse array of issues, including religion and sexual orientation. However, the matter of heterosexual, interracial relationships -- and particularly black/white couples -- once again dominated the discussion. Interracial marriages and relationships are a very charged matter; they have been the object of much legal and social regulation in this country. And an examination of this issue highlights the everyday struggles and the resilience of women of color -- particularly black women. Until 1967, a mere 36 years ago, many states had enforceable laws against interracial marriage, or "miscegenation." With Loving v. Virginia that year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such state laws were unconstitutional, initiating a marked change in the character of interracial marriages. In 1960, there were 25,000 black-husband/white-wife couples and 26,000 black-wife/white-husband pairings -- an even ratio. By 2000, however, the ratio had become much more skewed; in that year, there were 268,000 black-husband/white-wife couples and only 95,000 black-wife/white-husband partnerships. Why has this disparity occurred? Some of the reasons came up at the forum. The idea of black men desiring a "trophy wife" -- as a symbol of social status -- is well known. Historically, black men have been lynched, tortured and castrated for even hinting toward intimacy with white women. For example, the tragic murder of 14-year-old Emmitt Till in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman, gained national attention. Thus, when marriage to a white woman -- a symbolic prize long denied to black men -- became a possibility, many embraced it. Sexual stereotypes also influence the realm of interracial relationships. The alleged sexual prowess of black men is propagated in the media, making them items of erotic fascination. Similarly, Asian women are viewed as ultra-submissive and become sex objects for white men. Asian men, conversely, are viewed as passive and undesirable -- the "antithesis of masculinity," as described by David Eng in his book Racial Castration. This may be why white/Asian partnerships more frequently involve white men and Asian women than vice versa. But the issue of interracial relationships is most challenging for black women. For several reasons, black women have the most negative view of all race-gender groups toward interracial relationships. Black women faced a long history of sexual exploitation by white men -- both during and after slavery. Also, physical features characteristic of many black women, including skin color, body type and hair texture, are often not considered attractive by white American beauty standards. And even when black women are portrayed in sexually desirable ways, as in many music videos, they are highly objectified and not accorded respect as full human beings. College-aged blacks, more than other groups, are also simultaneously developing and exploring their racial identities; for some, interracial relationships may not work as well during this period as they might later. But the largest exacerbating factor of all is another disparity -- the skewed gender ratio in black communities. Black women outnumber black men by almost a 2-1 ratio on U.S. college campuses. This bias is even greater at elite institutions such as Penn, and it has an enormous impact on the everyday lives of black female students. Healthy, intimate relationships are probably the most difficult and complex undertakings that adults regularly pursue; they require a lot of patience and negotiation regardless of one's social position. And for black women in America, particularly on college campuses, all of the aforementioned issues are compounded by the lack of black men. Not only does this preclude romantic opportunities, but it also means that black women must often bear an extra burden for leadership within black communities. Nevertheless, black women have responded to these challenges with tremendous resilience. Many have admirably fulfilled these leadership roles, in areas ranging from student groups to university administration. Black women, and women of color more generally, have been the unrecognized pillars of the struggle for racial equity. We should honor all of their accomplishments on the University's Women of Color Day on March 7. And there is no single answer to the relationship dilemma. Some black women have become more open to interracial relationships, while others have become more flexible in other ways, choosing younger or older black men who may not have their same level of education. Still others are learning to redefine womanhood as a solo enterprise. And perhaps these women will help deconstruct the sexist idea, held by people of all ethnicities, that women are valuable primarily for the men they are with. Vinay Harpalani is a Ph.D. candidate in Education and a Master's candidate in Bioethics from Newark, Del.

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