ABSTRACT
The number of Black men who are involved in interracial relationships far exceeds that of Black women. Given the substantially lower rate of involvement by Black women in interracial relationships and given what appears to be a tendency towards interracial intimacy among Black male elites, the question arises as to whether these trends are merely a result of large-scale changes in race relations. More Black men than ever are involved in intimate inter-racial relationships and marriages. As race and gender relations in U. S. society have improved, the rates of interracial intimate relationships have also increased. Public discourse in years about one well-known interracial couple has also fueled speculation about intimate interracial relationships in general, and those involving Black men in particular. Across America, public and private institutions and officials have explicitly acknowledged the value and important consequences of the landmark decision to desegregate the public schools.
