Hello Meltingpot Readers,
As a writer and blogger, I’m a chronic oversharer. I’ve literally blogged about everything from birth to my struggles with weight. Still, I hesitated to write about the things that happen behind the scenes in my interracial marriage in the age of Trump. That felt too personal. Too risky. Too taboo.
But today is Loving Day, so why not use this opportunity to talk about the other side of interracial relationships.
On Monday, an essay I wrote about what it’s like to be in an interracial marriage at a time in America when racism and racial violence are at an all time high went public. The publication the essay is in is this fabulous new magazine for women of color called Zora. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew it was time to share these thoughts and ideas.
Hello Zora
Zora debuted on Monday and my article was front and center on the landing page. I was so busy on Monday I barely remembered the article was live. And then I started getting notifications from Medium (Zora’s parent company) telling me that people were engaging with and liking my story. My usually quiet Twitter account was getting all kinds of attention. I don’t want to overstate the popularity of the story, but people were really connecting with what I’d written. Here’s a taste of what I wrote:
“It almost seems naïve to say that, before the betrayal of Trayvon Martin, my husband and I never had cause to argue about race. It’s not like Trayvon Martin gave me my racial consciousness, but, just as the election of 45 opened my eyes to the depths of misogyny in our society, the acquittal of George Zimmerman bitch-slapped me into a racial reality that I had previously never known or felt.” Zora Magazine
The Truth Set Me Free
I’m so glad I pushed past my fears and wrote this article. I hope it engenders more conversations and confessions so that we can all get a little bit better at interracial intimacies, whether that’s with a lover or a friend. We all have to get better at it.
What experiences have you had with your partners of a different race in the age of Trump? I’d love to hear your stories.
Happy Loving Day!
Peace!
