Love sees color.

While the normalization of interracial relationships is often considered a credible representation of the progression of American race relations, there is still much work to do regarding social responsibility.

We’ve come a long way since Loving vs.Virginia. American popular culture now supports, more than ever, black and white people dating. Like any other trend, society often supports this attitude through social media posts that obsess on the aesthetic of the ideal biracial baby or claim that ‘white girls do it better’. In the name of tolerance and liberalism, we tend to normalize irresponsible concepts about interracial relationships.

This a problem that requires more civil maturity than what is currently accepted. Some may become caught up in the idea that we live in a post-racial society, a “we don’t see color because love is blind” utopia. It sounds charming, but this idea is more dangerous than you think. Racism is alive and well.  Living within a culture that holds the concept of race and racist values means you must move within the world accordingly. It is not enough to love the hate away.

  For white people in such relationships, it is more important than ever to be analytical of your social location in respect to the dynamic of the relationship. White supremacy doesn’t disappear after you begin dating a POC. In fact, you must be more conscious than ever of these dynamics in your relationship. This means being critical of “White girls/guys do it better” posts, even if posted by your partner. What does this say about your relationship? By condoning those kind of ideas, both you and your POC partner are directly feeding into a system that has always made whiteness the standard for beauty and grace. To ignore this is to ignore history and to inhibit social progression.

For POC in interracial relationships, there is no room to hesitate when talking about the injustices that POC face in an effort to spare your white partner the White Guilt that may come from it. In fact, to keep your relationship healthy and fair, these discussions must happen. It is your responsibility to give insight of your experiences with racism, experiences that they’ll never, as a white individual, be able to understand.

Though love is powerful, it is not strong enough to ignore the issues of race relations in America. That is why both halves of the relationship should be mindful and responsible.