Interracial Relationships: Diversity and Struggles

Relationships are the bedrock of a gratifying, healthy, well-lived life. They are also intricate and personal, as two people co-create their own unique little world over time, with norms, practices, habits, understandings, and a history that are theirs alone. And although this is true of all relationships, let us focus on romantic relationships. Every culture has its unique values, traditions, and beliefs. For instance, in some cultures, family is more important than anything else, while in others, individualism is highly valued. 

	Interracial relationships have their unique challenges and rewards. Humans are individualistic, and differences in opinion are natural. As an interracial couple, you will face extra challenges in your relationship from people outside of your relationship. It is common for incidents in an interracial couple’s lives to occur based on people stereotyping them, or for them to experience prejudice and discrimination. Interracial couples are often subjected to negative comments, stares, and other forms of discrimination. This can make you feel hurt, sad, and helpless. Racism is a pervasive issue today. In an interracial relationship, both partners come from diverse backgrounds and may have different ideas about life. Partners should educate themselves about each other’s culture, beliefs, and values.  Differences do not have to be a point of friction; they can instead help you grow and be multifaceted.
Education can help create a better understanding of each other’s backgrounds and create empathy and respect for each other’s differences. Interracial couples can build strong and healthy relationships that celebrate their differences and create deep and lasting love. But vast unresolved differences can leave permanent gaps in a relationship. A healthy compromise will always enrich the bond and strengthen mutual admiration and trust. When your partner asks questions that may seem ignorant, accept that they do not understand everything. If your partner asks you something that feels offensive, acknowledge they are most likely coming from a good place, and then explain why you have an issue with the interaction. You should honestly express yourself, but do not make them feel scared or stupid for coming to you with questions. With enough conversations over time, they might just surprise you.
	While it is often mistaken as a sacrifice, compromising is a healthy way of balancing the needs of both partners. So, teamwork, consistency, effort, acceptance, and, most importantly, compromises go a long way in making a relationship work. Relationships are complex, and when two individuals from diverse cultures come together, the complexity increases substantially. When the going gets tough, it becomes important to remember the worth of your relationship and find a point of compromise. Education is critical in overcoming the challenges of interracial relationships. Some people may assume that individuals in an interracial relationship are “selling out” or that they are not genuine in their affection for one another. These differences can cause conflict and misunderstandings, which can lead to relationship breakdowns. Partners should communicate openly, respect each other’s differences, educate themselves about each other’s backgrounds, and learn to navigate racism.
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If you want to have a strong interracial relationship, believe in who you are. Historically, engaging in an interracial relationship was looked down upon and discriminated against. Some of the most significant challenges in interracial relationships are dealing with cultural differences, and varied perspectives. Different religions have varying values, beliefs, and practices. Language barriers can also pose a significant challenge in interracial relationships. These relationships are not only about love and companionship but about understanding and accepting each other’s differences. Partners from different religious backgrounds may have conflicting ideas about critical issues such as marriage, raising children, and spirituality. Misunderstandings can occur when one partner cannot express themselves in the same language as the other. Many people have the misconception and assume that since a family is bi-racial, that problems that arise in the relationship are because of racial differences. This is a misconception. When people talk of the family feuds, of the problems, they should consider that these would exist even if race were not in play. In short, many people experienced hard childhood, bad family relations, and other unhealthy situations, EVEN WHEN RACE ISN'T AN ISSUE, so why should multicultural families be any different? We all have problems, but when it happens in a multicultural family, race is always to blame.
	Listen to what the apostle Paul expressed to the Athenians in Act 17:26. Rooted in the theology of creation he said, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” And I think the point he was making is that those proud Greeks who boasted of their ethnic purity over and against the barbarians, was that those barbarians out there are family, all the seed from one man and woman. All races have one ancestor, Adam, created in the image of God, and all humans following from him are in God’s image such that there is one God-like human race. Partners should respect each other’s cultural differences, beliefs, and values. If you want to make sure that these challenges do not hurt your relationship, talk about them openly with one another. The only thing different is our skin color and the cultural differences of every family. Also, be sensitive to your partner’s hardships with racism and understand their ideology and values to reduce friction or disappointments in the relationship and enable it to stand the test of time. When partners do not speak the same native tongue, expressing emotions, conveying information, clarifying misunderstandings, and misunderstood humor can be stressful.

Communication can help build trust, intimacy, and emotional bonding in the relationship. In conclusion, interracial relationships come with their unique challenges, but with effort, understanding, and respect, they can be overcome. Unfortunately, interracial couples can still experience difficulties because racism still exists in our society on a deep level. Given that interracial relationships are still politically and socially controversial and experience multiple unique hardships, it is not surprising that statistics show that the rate of divorce among interracial couples is higher than for same-race couples.  

Reference 

Challenges of an Interracial Marriage from Society. (2023). Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from https://www.verywellmind.com/interracial-marriage-challenges-2303129. 

Interracial Relationships: Diversity and Struggles. (2023). Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/interracial-relationships/. 

Should We Encourage Interracial Marriage? | Desiring God. (2023). Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/should-we-encourage-interracial-marriage. 

What's behind the rise of interracial marriage in the US .... (2023). Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/21/whats-behind-the-rise-of-interracial-marriage-in-the-us. 

Melissa Allen. (2023). Why Your Interracial/Multinational Couples Might be Dropping Out .... Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from https://ftm.aamft.org/why-your-interracial-multinational-couples-might-be-dropping-out-a-self-of-the-therapist-exploration-of-critical-factors/. 

BPRASAD26. (2023). 5 True Struggles of Interracial Relationships and How to Overcome .... Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from https://lifewithdata.com/2023/03/09/5-true-struggles-of-interracial-relationships-and-how-to-overcome-them/. 

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