Guillen 1

Sharon Guillen
English 1T
Valerie Fong
02 June, 2015
Are Interracial Relationships Socially Accepted?

Guillen 2

What are interracial relationships? Interracial relationships are defined as: marriage or
cohabitation by people of a different race (Britannica Academic). Currently in the United States
there has been a steady increase in the number of marriages amongst mixed races. In the United
States, 1-in-every-10 couples are in an interracial pairing. However, only 7.4 percent of all
marriages in the U.S. are between people of two different races or ethnicities. The rate of
interracial marriages increased by 28 percent in the last decade, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. That number will only continue to increase as minority populations come to outnumber
the white majority in America in the next 30 years, as projected by the Census. Although in the
United States interracial relationships are legal, they carry an underlying negative connotation
especially in other countries-showing how racism is still present in todays society.
While attending law school in England, Ruth met Sir Seretse Khama the chief of the

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:50 AM

Comment [1]: If all of the stats above are
from the Census Bureau, consider
introducing this before the first stat.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in
every 10 couples in the U.S. are in an
interracial pairing.

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:51 AM

Comment [2]: Thoughtful thesis.

Bamangwato tribe, who became Botswana's first president in 1966. Under his leadership, the
country underwent significant economic and social progress, while Ruth was a politically active
and influential First Lady. When they announced the news in 1948 ,Ruths father threw her out
of the house, while Seretses uncle declared if he brings his white wife here, I will fight him to
the death. Bowing to pressure from apartheid South Africa, the British government attempted to
stop the marriage and then prevented the couple from returning to Botswana. For eight years they
lived as exiles in England, until the Bamangwato sent a personal cable to the Queen in protest.
They were later finally socially accepted. This is an example of how interracial relationships
were treated and how this white woman was treated for choosing to be in a relationship with
someone of another race. Although this person was an important leader in his country, it did not
matter to Ruths family.

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:53 AM

Comment [3]: Very interesting story.
What would happen if you made this the
first paragraph? It could be a very powerful
way to draw a reader in to the topic.

Guillen 3

Ever since the Loving vs. Virginia case happened in 1967 and made interracial
relationships became legal, they have become more common. Although 46 years have passed
since laws preventing interracial relationships have have been abolished and interracial
relationships have become more common, people in interracial relationships still face difficulties
to be accepted in some parts. 13% of americans still do not approve of interracial relationships.
17-year-old African American Mildred Jeter, married her childhood sweetheart, white 23-yearold Richard Loving, which was against Virginia's "miscegenation" laws banning marriage

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:57 AM

Comment [4]: Consider moving these
sentences about the current situation for
later in the essay. Instead, focus this
paragraph on the story/history of the
Lovings.
Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:54 AM
Comment [5]: When presenting stats like
this, be sure to include the parenthetical
citations so that your reader knows where
they came from.

between blacks and whites. They married in Washington D.C. and returned to their home state in
1958 only to be charged with unlawful cohabitation and were put in jail. Judge Bazile sentenced
the Lovings to a year in prison, to be suspended if the couple agreed to leave the state for the
next 25 years. Judge Bazile significantly said, "Almighty God created the races white, black,
yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents.... The fact that he separated
the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix." The Lovings left Virginia and went
to live with relatives in Washington, D.C. When they returned to visit family five years later,
they were arrested for traveling together. Inspired by the civil rights movement, Mildred Loving
wrote to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy for help. The couple was referred to the ACLU,
which represented them in the landmark Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia (1967).
Eventually the Court ruled that state bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional. This is
the case that changed everything for people in interracial relationships, without this case who
knows if relationships of mixed races would be allowed in our society today. Sadly, Richard
Loving passed away only a year after the courts ruled that interracial relationships. Mildred
Loving stayed a widow. Although they did not get to live their relationship in a society where it

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:56 AM

Comment [6]: Very interesting history.

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:56 AM

Comment [7]: What would happen if you
inserted a paragraph break here?

Guillen 4

was legal and accepted at the time, their perseverance changed history and created a better

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:57 AM

Comment [8]: I agree.

society for all.

Today, Most may not look at it as a big deal, but being in a interracial relationship has
the benefit of learning about your significant other's culture and religion. This could not only
teach you a lot about another culture, but it could bring you relationships with people you did not
expect to interact with before. Learning about this would also make you feel more comfortable
when you were around them because you would know how to respect them and the way they
look at things which could only bring you closer together as a couple. Being with someone from
another race also brings adventure and diversity to your relationship. It also creates a new way of
thinking because each culture has its own set of beliefs.
I was once in a serious interracial relationship about one year ago with a caucasian male.
I come from a typical hispanic household, therefore it was strange for my family members to see
me with someone who looked different from us. In hispanic culture it is common to be with
someone of the same race and it looked down upon to date someone of different descent,
especially if their culture consists of a different religion. We struggled from agreeing on things
ranging from music to our daily customs. For example, I love spanish music and whenever I

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:00 AM

Comment [9]: Consider adding a topic
sentence here to articulate the point you
want to make about your personal
experience. Based on what you share, this
paragraph focuses on the challenges,
which transitions from the previous
paragraph as a contrasting idea.
Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 10:59 AM
Comment [10]: These adjectives are
capitalized: Caucasion, Hispanic, Spanish.
Check this for the whole essay. Ill only
mark it here.

would play in the car he told me to turn it down because we were passing through a typical white
neighborhood where this type of music was not in the social norm. At school, he would avoid
being seen with me because we did not belong to the same social groups. People at school

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:00 AM

Comment [11]: Wow.

Guillen 5

questioned the fact as to why we were dating, it was uncommon at my school to have interracial
relationships. I believe I did not have a positive relationship not only because of our racial
difference, but also with our social group difference. I chose to not be in a relationship anymore
because I feel like you should be proud of who youre dating, not be ashamed nor put your

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:01 AM

Comment [12]: This might be the topic
sentence point.

partner down for their interests/beliefs. Because of this, it was brought to my attention that even
in todays society-there are still prejudice against couples of mixed races. It was also brought to
my attention that not everyone is meant to be in an interracial relationship. It takes a person who
doesnt care what people in society think and is also open to new ideas.
When it comes to interracial relationships there is one big important factor: religion. Each
culture has a religion that is common and it may be unique to that culture or it could be a religion
that is common around the world. Regardless, this is something people in interracial

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:02 AM

Comment [13]: Another? You may need
to refine the topic sentence to clarify that
this is true for some interracial
relationships, but not for all of them.

relationships should consider, especially when they are a different religion. Religion is a delicate
subject and in a relationship you should be able to speak on the subject. In general, interfaith
marriages have a slightly higher divorce rate than couples who share the same faith in religion.
According to a study by the University of Illinois, about 33% of couples in different but similar
faith marriages suffer divorce. Although this statistic is about interfaith relationships, we can
infer this statistic also implies to those in interracial/interfaith relationships. An example of a
type of interfaith couple that could fall into this category is a catholic and a christian, because
although they have similarities they have a lot of principles that differ from each other. What
needs to be considered in an interracial relationship that consists of two different beliefs is you
cant force them to change. There is no need to give them ultimatums or fight about saying what
religion is the right one. If its meant to be, it will all work out. There is always the answer of

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:03 AM

Comment [14]: Effective explanation
here.
Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:03 AM
Comment [15]: These get capitalized,
too.

Guillen 6

just finding common ground on things you both believe in, although your faiths may not be
exactly the same at least this will give you things to talk about/believe in together.
A big issue for interracial relationships is dealing with racism from people who do not
accept it, their children get bullied or feel as if they do not fit in for being mixed. When parents

significantly. Those responses indicate their uncertainty about the dual heritage or their

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:04 AM

Comment [16]: The point is an important
one. Consider revising the topic sentence
to avoid a comma splice and convey the
logical relationship between the two ideas.

discouragement with societal pressure. The variation in parents' responses is one indication of

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:04 AM

Comment [17]: Check quote integration!

are asked about the racial or cultural identity of their biracial child, their responses vary

the stress that is experienced by families of dual races or cultures. Biracial children experience
the feeling of not "fitting in" anywhere during their childhood and it becomes a serious source of
conflict for many biracial adolescents. (Gibbs, 1989). According to Census data, the population
of multiracial children in the United States has grown from approximately 500,000 in 1970 to
more than 6.8 million in 2000. This proves that being a mixed child from an interracial
relationship brings cultural issues for the child, they probably dont understand which culture

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:05 AM

Comment [18]: Very interesting.

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:05 AM

Comment [19]: Wow!

they fit into/understand. Its a struggle for them to be accepted for who they are and sometimes
may be picked on. Although the numbers in mixed children have obviously grown throughout
the years, it does not mean they are socially accepted. I used to see it all the time at school where
kids who were mixed would get picked on just because they werent acting like their race that
they looked like. They saw it was strange to see someone who was african american in an AP

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:05 AM

Comment [20]: Consider moving this
sentence up so that it comes right after the
Census stat.

class with straight As instead of the stereotype that african americans only receive grades that
are below average or average. As you can see in the images below, you see a woman who
appears to be mixed and a powerful quote from her. She states that she isnt half asian or half
white, but instead she states she is a whole other. We can assume she does not feel like she wants
to check off one box when filling out applications. Applications lead many mix children to

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:07 AM

Comment [21]: I think that you may be
addressing more than one point in this
paragraph. One point is the way biracial
youth are treated (assumptions and
stereotypes); the other point is how the biracial person feels in terms of a conflicted
identity. Consider unpacking these into
separate paragraphs.

Guillen 7

choose only one single box, which is a tough thing to do because they feel as if they are choosing
a side. According to The Risks of Multiracial Identification by Naomi Schaefer Riley, there are a
number of complaints from students of mixed race who felt uneasy attending the meetings of
groups that are meant for only one of their multiple ethnicities. It is difficult for mixed race
children to be in settings where most kids are of one race and there are clubs at school that are
made for a certain race.

We need to consider that although interracial relationships are legal, people who are in
interracial relationships face the dangers of racism. We need to teach others that it doesnt matter
what race another person is, we should date someone for who they are inside. I do not believe in
judging someone just because of their race, we need to accept others for who they are. We are in
the 21st century and need to let go of the past. We must accept interracial relationships as they
are no harm to those around us. Interracial relationships are a learning experience for this around
us and for those participating in the relationship. Not only do those participating in interracial
relationships have to have an open mind, but those around us do as well. I think its truly

Guillen 8

saddening that interracial relationships are still not as accepted as they should be, after all race is
only skin deep, what matters is the other person's values.

Comment.

Valerie Fong 6/14/2015 11:08 AM

Comment [22]: For this RP essay,
include the Works Cited list.

Guillen 9

Sharon: I really enjoyed reading this essay. You raise thoughtful points about the challenges
people face when in interracial relationships, and then extend that analysis to consider how the
children of interracial couples struggle as well. I like the historical background you provide with
the Loving case, as well as the synthesis of personal stories with statistics.
Some areas to consider:

Focus/Thesis: See my comment about a possible refinement to the introduction.

Paragraph focus: Consider that some paragraphs address more than one point or shift
topics, and unpacking them into separate paragraphs could help you and your readers
focus on each one in turn. See where Ive commented on this in-text.

Paragraph development: If you wanted to revise this essay for your portfolio, it could be
interesting to bring in some quotes from some additional readings in McQuade the
article about multi-racial identification.

Proofreading: Good improvements, but still some comma splices, Sharon. I know you
didnt have a fruitful first visit to the TLC, but consider visiting the TLC for help
specifically in finding and fixing the comma splices and capitalization errors.

Format: Do add in the citations both in-text (parentheticals) and the Works Cited.

I enjoyed reading your work! -Valerie