Interracial Marriage More Common Than Ever
In 1967, the boundaries were still very black and white. The film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," about an interracial couple and their parents' angst, was considered groundbreaking.
Americans are more likely than ever to wed outside their racial or ethnic group. Fast forward four decades and you don't have to look to the big screen to see interracial couples. You can see the beginnings of a melting pot everywhere -- just look at celebrity couples like Seal and Heidi Klum , or Tony Parker and Eva Longoria.
And new study by the Pew Research Center found that one in six new marriages in the U.S. are interracial relationships. That makes the United States one of the most colorblind countries when it comes to saying "I do," second only to Brazil.
"I think the racial barriers have almost, have blurred to the extent of almost being socially insignificant," said Professor Rick Banks of Stanford Law School.
Rates of interracial marriage among Asians and Hispanics remained steady, but there was a substantial change among black Americans, especially black men.
"In 2008, 22 percent of all black male newlyweds married a non-black," said Taylor.
Black Women Left Out
Only 9 percent of black women, on the other hand, married outside their race, making them the least likely of any race or gender to marry outside their race and the least likely to get married at all.
When ABC News spoke with one group of black women the consensus was that they want to get married, and their preference was to marry a black man. But the pool of eligible bachelors has dwindled. And even though these women are willing to marry men of other races, they told us their options are more limited.
"We are maybe not as coveted as black men in society. I just feel there is a lot of taboo that is associated with dating black women, 'cause I don't think they are necessarily ready to take us home to see momma," said Melinda Watson, a black woman who is single and looking for a husband.
The fine print may be complicated but the overall headline is that color lines are becoming more blurred.
More at the Souce
ETA: Yeah, there's *some* fail in this article, in terms of taking about "colorblindness" and then singling out black women (which I had to add in after the fact because my computer is being slow, sorry about that), but I'd still like to share it because it's nice to see an optimistic piece on race and not just an epic wankfail. Also, wedding cakes are lulzy. That is all.