Interracial relationships are on a rise in the United States. Married couples who identified their marriage as interracial grew by 28 percent from 2000 to 2010, making 8.4 percent of all current U.S. marriages mixed-raced. In addition, 18 percent of heterosexual unmarried couples identify themselves as interracial. Blacks who married outside their race increased in share from 15.5 percent to 17.1 percent.
Some might say that art imitates life, so it’s no surprise that there has been an explosion of television shows featuring interracial couples. However, the mainstream television series that portray Black people in interracial relationships – with Black women in particular – appear to far outnumber programs depicting Black couples.
Take a look at 22 of these shows that present Black actors in interracial relationships; some have been canceled, but many are still on the air.
Is it a fair representation of today’s reality or is it being hyped up by mainstream media?
Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is torn between President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) and Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) in ABC’s “Scandal.”
