Was last week the first time you had real, honest conversations with the people in your life about racism and the treatment of Black people in America? For interracial couples, those conversations happen regularly — because the racism experienced by the Black partners in these couples happens day in and day out.
As James Tyler, a Black man who owns a photography company with his wife, Christy, who’s white, told HuffPost: “I feel like we are partners, and part of being a partnership is knowing we can be open and vulnerable with each other, and that goes beyond who the white partner and who the Black partner is. The only way to make any partnership work is through truth, and we have always talked through everything, especially regarding race, so this time is not new for us.”
That doesn’t mean this moment is easy for interracial couples, though — far from it. “I have been psychologically triggered by past traumas that have resurfaced and have been trying to process everything,” James said. As for Christy, she’s “been really worried about what [James] needs and also generally just worried for his safety, as I always do, when he leaves the house,” she said.
Go here for more from James, Christy and other couples on what it’s like to be in an interracial relationship today. And keep having these important conversations with family and friends.
Xo, Ashley Rockman |
