Interracial love on campus

By Tasha Dowbachuk | Published May 12, 2019

Kean University, known for its diverse student body, encourages unity among everyone by way of the various cultures and customs represented by each individual on campus. For some, celebration rests in the romantic love shared between one another of differing racial and cultural backgrounds.

Attitudes towards interethnic or interracial dating among college students are relatively positive among millennials. According to Pew Research Center, 93 percent of people within the age range of 18 to 29 years old, responded to the survey “expressing their support for interracial marriage within their families.” Overall, the level of acceptance in this generation is “greater than in other generations.”

In 2013, about one in eight of new marriages in the U.S. were between spouses of different races according to the Pew Research Center. From a historical standpoint, the United States has come a long way since the legalization of interracial marriage in 1967.

There can be some downfalls when it comes to interracial dating, however, which include: the fetishization, racial bias, and the history of stereotypes that have become embedded in our society regarding interracial love in general.  A study published online by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that “bias against interracial couples is associated with disgust that in turn leads interracial couples to be dehumanized.”

Interracial couples experience the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to social commentary, social commentary which oftentimes comes from within their inner circle. Tori Honore and Drew Kawalek, juniors at Kean University, have been dating for a year and four months and claim that they are “constantly laughing” and enjoying every step of their relationship.

When asked what they favor about one another, Kawalek claims that Honore accepts him for who he is, while she “feels safe and secure around him.”

In the early stages of their relationship, Honore spoke on the discomfort of being stared at while simply spending time with her boyfriend in social settings.

“I would get real uncomfortable because I could see families or other people looking at us,” said Honore. “I used to get hate messages on Tumblr about our relationship saying that, I’m betraying the [black] community or I’m just a black girl he dated in college.”

The two agree that after overcoming the “side-eyes” and other opinions about their relationship, they have both developed a stronger sense of tolerance, strength and love between each other.

“We don’t have problems discussing racial issues but it’s the hate from the world that makes me think, why can’t people just see that we’re happy, just the way we are,” said Honore.

While Honore may have a different opinion, Kawalek believes that people tend to stare at interracial couples because of “their beauty.”

In the words of philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo, love is blind despite the world’s attempt to give it eyes. While our world becomes more progressive and knowledgeable, it will become filled with love instead of hate.

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