Yanni Brown, certified relationship educator and author of Making Love Better Begins Within, has devoted 19 years to making black-on-black love an everyday reality for all.
Touting the necessity of coupling has been an uphill battle for Brown, as the very notion of black love has been under assault. Every other quarter, it seems, a new study or in-depth report examines the Single Black Woman epidemic.
On one end of the spectrum, professional black women can’t seem to find a husband, and on the other end, young black sisters don’t even want one — as 72 percent of black babies are born to single mothers.
Black love exists … you must know where to look for it.
“I’m tired of society telling us what we can and cannot do, and a lot of it has to do with us not being open,” Brown states. ‘I tell ladies all the time, if you go to the Starbucks in your neighborhood, or the bookstore, go to a different one. It’s not taking you out of your character, it’s just taking you out of your normal social setting, and putting you in a different social setting so you will have an opportunity to meet someone different.”
When you find your potential mate, you must have a meeting of the minds early on, to avoid relationship pitfalls.
“A lot of people go into relationships with unrealistic expectations, of themselves and their partners. Two or three dates mean marriage for some, although they hadn’t discussed if they want children. They didn’t ask questions: What are we doing as far as our careers? Who’s going to wash dishes? Who’s cooking in this relationship? We don’t talk about the important issues, we just go into it head-strong and love strong. We must discuss the realities of the relationship.”
As for black women in particular, you must first admit that you want and deserve to be loved. Brown suggests that black women have been conditioned to be strong and independent, and they must now learn to be receptive.
“At the end of the day, regardless of what people say, everyone wants to be loved, and if they don’t they should,” Brown shares. “You don’t want to spend all of your life alone, or all of your life being independent and not needing anyone. At some point, you will need someone for something. Open up and be ready to receive love.”
Brown will headline an all-day seminar for women, the Women’s Empowerment Conference, on April 30, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in Chicago. Visit the website for details.
