NYT: To Make Up for Centuries of White Privilege, White Men Should Romance Black Women
05/23/2020
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In the New York Times TV section, veteran iSteve Content Generator Salamishah Tillet, professor of African-American and African studies and creative writing at Rutgers University, Newark where she teaches a class on “Black Rage,” brings us up to date on the important cultural trend in her favorite romance shows:

Interracial Romance, With Black Women as the Stars
In “Insecure,” “Love Is Blind” and “The Lovebirds,” these leading ladies are pushing back against dating bias in the real world.

By Salamishah Tillet
May 22, 2020
Updated 1:34 p.m. ET

… The Molly-Andrew relationship is part of a larger cultural trend in which black women, especially those of medium-to-dark-brown complexions — long positioned at the bottom of the aesthetic and social hierarchy in the United States because of racist standards — are increasingly appearing as leading ladies and romantic ideals in interracial relationships onscreen. In some cases, these are works created by black women themselves, like Rae’s “Insecure.” …

Ultimately, none of these interracial narratives can make up for our country’s violent racial past or the way that history continues to plague us. The trend remains mostly symbolic, with black women still on the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder. Every once in a while, however, these fictionalized romances and reality show couples give us something to cheer for: a happily ever after in which the male partner acknowledges and begins to unravel his own racial privilege, not just out of love, but because it is the right thing to do.

[Comment at Unz.com]

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