Research Paper on Change in Interracial Marriages Perception in the U.S.

Introduction

At the height of racism in the U.S. prior to the 1960s, there were minimal interactions between Native American Whites and Blacks. African Americans had just come from the slavery era and were still being looked down upon. As Sue M. Kidd describes in her novel "The secret life of bees," Black people were discriminated against, harassed, beaten, and even killed. During this era, it was unimaginable to see two White and Black persons relating in a friendly manner or holding hands. Therefore, the thought of interracial dating and marriage was a far-fetched idea, socially unacceptable, and even a taboo among the native white Americans. Legislations like the Jim Crow law were formulated to help separate different races and there were legal repercussions for any people found flaunting these rules. However, the African American struggle for equality over the years has seen more interracial interactions, dating, and marriages experience. There has been a steady increase in positive perceptions of interracial marriages in all American races over the years. This essay will discuss the tendency and reasons for the positive change in attitude towards interracial marriages in the U.S. over the years. The essay will base its argument on the theme of racism seen in Kidd's novel.

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In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act which was viewed as a new era for African Americans. In this law, the U.S. government acknowledged and pledged to defend the societal and legal rights of African Americans. The signing of the law meant Blacks could eat in any restaurant, use any public bathroom, and even vote in elections. In her novel, however, Kidd brings out the fact that Blacks' problems never ended in 1964. Through her African American character Rosaleen, Kidd demonstrates how many white racists still saw it as their duty to carry on with the harassment and exclusion of African Americans. When Rosaleen stands up against harassment by a group of white boys, she ends up in jail and later in hospital (Kidd 39). Even with the signing of the Civil Rights Act, the association between Whites and Blacks on romantic grounds was still loathed by the native whites. In some states stilled, interracial marriages were will be outlawed. This is depicted in the famous story of an interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving of Virginia. The couple was arrested in 1958 due to their violation of the state's 1924 Racial Integrity Act that barred marriages between Whites and Blacks. They were ordered to leave Virginia and stay away for a minimum of 9 years so as to avoid being prosecuted and imprisoned. They then spent several years appealing the judgment that they deemed as unfair. The case reached the Supreme Court in 1967 where a ruling was made in their favor (Livingston and Brown 1). This ruling became symbolic as the first act to genuinely break the White-Black societal barrier on the association. Since then, many more interracial marriages were experienced.

The change of perception on interracial marriages has occurred very gradually. Today, such associations, dating, and marriages are more accepted in the American society. According to (Baars 218) factors such as reduced prejudice and discrimination against Blacks and the narrowing education and income gaps between Blacks and Whites have contributed to improved perception and hence increased intermarriages between the two races. There was need of contact between the two races so as the idea of dating and marriage could be more accepted. The increased interracial associations in between Whites and Blacks in the fields of education, careers, and shared places of residence have contributed to an improved attitude towards interracial marriages. Education brings people of different races and ethnicities together who strive to achieve a common goal. In order to achieve these objectives, there must be interactions between them which often lead to a change in perception on societal and superstitious issues. Concerning the place of residence, racial tensions are higher in the Southern parts of U.S. compared to the Western, Northern, and Central parts (Baars 220). It is therefore not a surprise that the Western part of the country has more interracial marriages compared to the other parts. Using a white adolescent character Lily Owens, Kidds proves that all that was needed to break the interracial association barrier was contact between Whites and Blacks. Owing to a racist society Lily grew in and all the stereotypes she heard about Black people, the girl grew up believing that Black people are foolish, lazy, and dishonest. Lily's father T.Ray and the area police boss Mr. Gaston openly depicted their racist character to Rosaleen despite her working for T.Ray as Lily's nanny. It took Lily's close association with Rosaleen probably because of her lack of motherly love to have a different view of Blacks. During the two ladies' adventures that took them to Tiburon, South Carolina, it dawned to Lily how he own stereotypes were totally misguided. The teenager is surprised at how competent and wise the Black people she met are, even more than many white people she had met before (Kidd 48). In the general American society, it took such close contacts and associations for people perceptions on interracial marriages to change.

It is now half a century since the landmark Loving v. Virginia ruling and the attitude on interracial marriages in the U.S. have changed dramatically despite it still being frowned in particular areas. More than twice as much Americans marry from another race now compared to 3 decades ago (Livingston and Brown 4). This depicts an increasing acceptance of interracial marriages which were once considered a taboo in the American society. A 2013 Gallup poll conducted in the U.S. revealed that 84 percent of Whites and a whopping 96 percent of Blacks supported interracial marriages between Whites and Blacks (Newport). The study clarified that while the support of Blacks to such marriages has traditionally been higher; the difference in the percentage of approval between the races has dramatically reduced. In 1958, the support of Whites for such unions was at a meager 4 percent. Currently, the poll reveals that only 11 percent of all U.S. citizens disapprove interracial marriages (Newport).

Unsurprisingly, young people of under 30 years of age expressed more support for such marriages. However, old persons of over 65 years did not see such unions as being ideal. Passel, Wang, and Taylor claim that the multi-cultural environment that young Americans have been raised has greatly contributed to their improved perceptions of interracial marriages. Images that the young people have been exposed to through television, sports, music, literature among other media have made them learn to associate with and love people of different races. The young Americans also witnessed a country with a history of grave racism elect a president who is biracial before most of them were 30 years. Additionally, many of the young U.S. citizens are biracial and others even multiracial and hence it can only be natural for them to support intermarriages between different races. A 2010 study by pew research revealed that 90 percent of Millenials below 30 years support interracial marriages (Passel, Wang, and Taylor). The young people support the idea of a family member getting married to another race with a break down being 93 percent to Asian Americans, 92 percent to White Americans, 91 percent to Hispanic Americans, and 88 percent to African Americans. The figures for the general Americans stand at 75 percent to Asian Americans, 81 percent to White Americans, 73 percent to Hispanics, and 66 percent to African Americans (Passel, Wang, and Taylor). On the contrary, the authors claim that the more elderly U.S. citizens grew up in an extremely segregated society based on factors such as race, class, and even religious alienations. While still a problem today in a few places, the segregation of residential areas was not only a norm but also entrenched in the law at the times and in the environment that the old Americans grew in. Most of these elderly Americans grew up having a notion that racial segregation was a normal and justifiable way of life. Nevertheless, a good number of Americans of this age group have lived in an open society and have embraced the interracial marriages ideas (Passel, Wang, and Taylor). This difference in the age groups and their perceptions towards interracial associations and marriages is also evident in Kidd's novel where Lily, a teenager, learns to associate with Blacks through Rosaleen while this is a far-fetched idea for his father of the older generation.

Since the 1967 decriminalization of interracial marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court, there has been a significant increase in interracial marriages in the country from 3 percent to a record high of 17 percent in 2015. Interracial marriages involving Black people have more than tripled from 5 percent in 1980 to 18 percent in 2015. On the other hand, the number of wedded Whites who have married from a different race or ethnicity has more than doubled from 4 percent in 1980 to 11 percent in 2015 (Livingston and Brown 7). The authors also revealed that 46 percent of Asian Americans 39 percent of Hispanic Americans married intermarried with people from different races in 2015. 29 percent of Asians living in the U.S. also tied the knot with a spouse from a different race (Livingston and Brown 8).

Conclusion

In conclusion, America has come a long way as far as racial discrimination is concerned. The racial segregation laws and tendencies prior to 1964 made associations between different races in the U.S. difficult. This segregation is clearly brought out in Kidd's novel "The secret life of bees" where the association between Whites and Blacks was not a common thing. Children born in this period grew up believing segregation was the norm and even appropriate for the different races. In turn, interracial marriages were unimagined of and even outlawed. Over time, however, there has been a significant improvement in perceptions to such marriages in the American society. The essay has discussed this gradual change in interracial marriage perceptions and the resultant increase in the number of intermarriages among different races.

Work Cited

Newport, Frank. In the U.S., 87% Approve of Black-White Marriage vs. 4% in 1958. Gallup, July 25, 2013, https://news.gallup.com/poll/163697/approve-marriage-blacks-whites.aspxBaars, Madaline. Marriage in Black and White: Women's Support for Laws Against Interracial Marriage, 1972-2002. Intersections 10, No. 1, Pp. 219-238 (2009).

Kidd, Sue. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin Books, Pp. 39-51, January 28, 2003.

Livingston, Gretchen and Brown, Anna. Intermarriage in the U.S. 50 Years After Loving v. Virginia, Pew Research Center, Pp. 1-9, May 18, 2017.

Passel, Jeffrey; Wang, Wendy; and Taylor, Paul. Marrying Out: One-in-Seven New U.S. Marriages is Interracial or Interethnic, Pew Research Center, June 2010.