It’s a sight I’ve seen time and time again. A group of black women are sitting at a table in a restaurant, a mall or a hotel. An attractive brother strides by confidently with a white woman and suddenly the temperature drops about 25 degrees.
The sistas’ conversation halts in mid-sentence. They crane their heads in his direction and eye him like a pride of lions sizing up prey. Actually, the women seem to stop breathing altogether. All their energies are channeled into trying to drill large holes into the side of his skull with their hot, hostile glares. The black man, acutely aware that the women are cursing the very air that he breathes, steals sidelong glances at the women but doesn’t dare make direct eye contact.
Black men who date white women are accused of everything short of violating the Patriot Act. They are denounced as Uncle Toms and race-traitors and have to endure social crucifixions. Case in point: when a tabloid recklessly purported that the pro-black actor-author Hill Harper was dating a white woman recently, sisters nationwide were ready to storm Hollywood with pitchforks and torches and hunt Harper like an animal. So startled was Harper that he hastily fumbled out this tweet to his fans:
“4 U guys that asked- I didn’t see TMZ, so don’t know what was said. But Nicole and I are ONLY FRIENDS!! She’s a sweetheart- But just friends!”
Yet, there seems to be much less of an uproar when prominent black women date and marry white men. In fact, in many cases, barely a syllable is uttered. Check out the list and see if you are surprised at the number and the quality of sistahs who’ve crossed the racial aisle. Keep in mind that this is just a partial list. –terry shropshire
Actress Kerry Washington and her husband, David Moscow
Halle Berry and her baby’s daddy, Gabriel Aubry
Former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland and boyfriend
Actress Paula Patton and husband, singer Robin Thicke
Susan Rice, President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the United Nations, and husband.
Venerated actor Robert DeNiro and his wife
Houston-based rapper Paul Wall and his wife
Rapper Eve and her boyfriend
Avatar and Star Trek star Zoe Saldana and date
Garcelle Beauvais and her family
“Girlfriends” actress Golden Brooks and boyfriend
Kim Wayans of the famous Wayans family and her boyfriend
Legendary former supermodel Iman and iconic rocker David Bowie
Former “Girlfriends” star Keesha Sharp and her husband
Legendary soul singer Tina Turner
Renowned movie critic Roger Ebert and wife
“American Idol” season one contestant Tamyra Gray and Sam Watters (Color Me Badd)
