Experiences of White partners in Black–White romantic relationships in the United States: A qualitative study

• Published date: 01 December 2022
• Author: Salimata Lala Fall,Brittany M. Wittenberg
• Date: 01 December 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12778

RESEARCH

Experiences of White partners in Black–White

romantic relationships in the United States:

A qualitative study

Salimata Lala Fall

1

|Brittany M. Wittenberg

2

1

Department of Sociology, Louisiana State

University, Baton Rouge, LA

2

Department of Patient and Family Centered

Care, Phoenix Children’s Hospital,

Phoenix, AZ

Correspondence

Salimata Lala Fall, 322 Stubbs Hall,

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge,

LA 70803, USA.

Email: sfall2@lsu.edu

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide new

information on the lived experiences of White individuals

in Black–White interracial relationships, including the

impact of the social climate on these relationships.

Background: While attitudes toward Black–White relation-

ships have improved more than in previous decades, they

still occur less frequently, are the least accepted, and are

regarded more negatively when compared with all other

interracial pairings. This warrants more research on the

issues concerning interracial couples.

Method: Participants (n=7) included five women and

two men who self-identified as White that were in, or

formerly in, a Black–White romantic relationship of

at least three months. Participants completed a semi-

structured interview with the researcher. Qualitative

content analysis was used due to the exploratory nature

of the research questions.

Results: Participants reported external stressors (i.e., discrim-

inatory, or racist encounters in public) and lack of familial

acceptance of their relationship throughout their relationship.

In addition, the social and political climate seemed to impact

discussions about race within the couple.

Conclusion: Individuals in Black–White romantic relation-

ships experience challenges within their private and public

lives due to race.

Implications: This research study demonstrates a way in

which researchers should aim to look at individuals, cou-

ples, and families as different units of analysis situated in a

particular socio-cultural context. Future studies can also

explore the ways in which White partners can support their

Black partner.

Received: 23 November 2021Revised: 16 May 2022Accepted: 8 August 2022

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12778

© 2022 National Council on Family Relations.

2030 Family Relations. 2022;71:2030–2046.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

KEYWORDS

African American/Black families and issues, couple/marital/romantic

relationships, interracial couples and issues, multiracial families and

relationships, race and ethnic (minority) issues

Race relations between Blacks and Whites has, and continues to be, an area of disharmony in the

United States. The nation’s history reinforces the ideology of the contentious Black–White relation-

ship, with the idea of a Black–White union being morally and legally criminal (Field et al., 2013;

Fryer, 2007). A sexual taboo stemming from slavery made intergroup relations between Blacks and

Whites socially unacceptable even after the overturning of miscegenation laws (Field et al., 2013;

Fryer, 2007). This stigma has been reinforced by contemporary research regarding society’sviewson

Black–White romantic relationships (Childs, 2008; Field et al., 2013; Kroeger & Williams, 2011).

Considering the controversial history between the two races, this qualitative study seeks to understand

theimpactofraceforWhitepartnersinBlack–White romantic relationships in U.S. society today.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Critical race theory

This study applies a critical race theory (CRT) lens to highlight the lived experiences that White

partners in Black–White romantic relationships navigate due to racism and its inequities. Bell’s

(1992) CRT articulates how race and racism cannot be separated from culture and society

because it is embedded in all institutions. The significance of CRT is its emphasis on racism

being based not only in individual interactions but viewed as an institutionalized structure

embedded in our culture (Bell, 1992; Siegel, 2020). Additionally, CRT rejects the idea of color-

blindness (Mills & Unsworth, 2018), asserting a position that without addressing race, implicit

racial biases and cultural insensitivity will prevail. Therefore, for Black–White interracial cou-

ples and families, failure to acknowledge race and its constructs could further relegate the diver-

sity and complexity of individuals’uniqueness and identity, specifically for persons belonging to

a minority background. In applying this lens to the experiences of White individuals in Black–

White couples, it provides grounds to analyze the external and societal forces at play (e.g., their

partner, their immediate and extended family, the law, and political and social paradigms)

that actively construct the narratives and identities of the Black and White individuals in these

relationships. CRT provides a framework to address the role of race and how it shapes relation-

ships and family functioning among broader structures of inequality.

Black–White relationships in the United States

Anti-miscegenation laws were legal until the 1967 Supreme Court ruling in Loving

v. Commonwealth of Virginia, which deemed anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional (Field

et al., 2013). In fact, legislation, such as the Jim Crow laws (South) and the Black Codes

(North), was enforced to prevent interracial unions between Blacks and Whites (Romano,

2003). Also, there is evidence that individuals in Black–White relationships continue to face

additional pressures due to the historical context between Blacks and Whites and the institution

of racism in the United States (Bell & Hastings, 2015).

Although Black–White marriages are more widely accepted than they were in previous

times, they still occur less frequently and are the least accepted compared with all other

interracial marriages (Field et al., 2013; Fryer et al., 2007). Previous research documents that

EXPERIENCES OF WHITE PARTNERS IN BLACK–WHITE 2031