Interracial couples, the past is the present - 7.27.2007.1

"There are some things in this world, captain Niobe, that will never change." – Morpheus From the Matrix Reloaded

Back in the early 1970’s I recall meeting a friend of my mother, a woman from the South. I recall her for many reasons, her nickname, her personality, and her husband. At the moment I’ll share a bit about her marriage.

As I mentioned, ‘Kitty’ was a woman from the South that moved to New York City when she got married. Neither she, nor her husband, had family in the City. They didn’t move for a better job or to gain a better education. They left the South because it was the safe thing to do.

Kitty and her husband were an interracial couple (they were married to the day that Kitty died of cancer and a bad hospital – well over 25 years after I first met them). That may not sound like a big deal in 2007, but in 1972 it was. That isn’t very long ago, and since that time things have changed, and then again as Morpheus states some don’t.

Case in point is the Fiesta Bowl. It was a great game and I wrote a bit about it. I recall that it was the first post for 2007. After the very close win, by the undefeated Boise State Broncos, there was a bit of a surprise for all the nation to see. Ian Johnson, the running back responsible for the overtime win, went over to his girlfriend and proposed with ESPN and other national television cameras catching every second. Chrissy Popadics said yes, without hesitation. They are an interracial couple.

Fast forward to today, and it’s being reported that death threats are part of the negative comments being hurled at the soon-to-be newlyweds. So vicious and troubling are the threats, security is required for the wedding.


This is hardly a unique case. I know of other interracial couples that are also running into difficulty like this today as well. Not to mention that back over a year ago I wrote a post about Ms. Sanaa Lathan in the film Something New. Since that time I have noted the continuous views of that post, though only 1 woman has bothered to comment. I have seen that every month, interracial dating is on of the topics my blog is found under ever month. To be exact, the terms being searched are accusatory and negative towards interracial dating.

Continued in Part 2...

The upseting start of 2007 - 1.2.2007.1

On a separate note I’m upset by a commercial I saw for the first time today. Time Warner Business Class has a new commercial out today. I really didn’t notice the first 20 seconds of the television commercial, but the last 10 got me. The television commercial is a knock-off with no real drive or importance. Time Warner is touting their greatness and how valuable they can be to small business. Fine, whatever. A business owner states how is difficult to manage the employees of his non-descript business. A guy complains about someone stealing his pens. Then Time Warner tells us how great they are at helping out running the tech portion of the business. Then comes the part that annoys me.

The boss is standing nest to a water bottle with a clock in the background that shows 9:20 or 9:23 on it. Up walks a tall 20-something, perhaps thirty year old Black woman. She’s dressed well and holding a coffee cup. She walks right up to the boss and state, “Is 9 am a starting time, or is it a guideline?” Thank you Time Warner. Nothing like throwing in a stereotype for absolutely no reason.

I’ve heard comedians joke about c-p-t (colored people time) and I’ve heard racist mention it. I’ve rarely heard it mentioned anywhere else. But out of the blue a major corporation comes out with a commercial where they just buy into the thought. I’m not saying they are racist. But is it insensitive and building on an old stereotype, definitely. Did they need to, definitely not.

They could have had anyone in that role. Someone thought up the line. It works in context of the commercial. But someone decided that the character in the television commercial needed to be African American. They decided that they needed to promote the stereotype. Why? Why not have the African American be the person complaining about the pens that were being stolen? If I have heard of the stereotype [I’m 38] I’m sure the people greenlighting, casting, and directing the commercial know it too.

It’s not a racist commercial. But it is disappointing. Those responsible for this should are aware. They knew what they were doing. They knew what statement they were making and it was unnecessary. Had anyone else portrayed the character making that statement I’d have ignored it completely, like I did the rest of the commercial. But they made a decision and I am reacting.

Maybe there are some who are younger than me who have not heard this racially biased comment. But I have and I know those older than I have heard it often. Targeting smaller businesses, obviously non-Black businesses, is no excuse for such a statement.

I hoped that 2007 would start without a negative incident. Already there have been 2. The loss of Mr. Darrent Williams of the Denver Broncos was senseless. An argument that seems to have not involved him leads to a cowardly drive-by shooting. Stupid and horrendous. And on its back I get to see the actions of Time Warner. Some think racism and racial insensitivity are a thing of the past. Some say I am overly sensitive. And I think that some things are being done, almost subtly and in the guise of innocence that prove to me they are not things of the past but the present.

Maybe the year will improve. The proposal after the win by the Boise State player is a great image of the future. I’ll keep that in my mind focused on that. But in the back of my mind is the reality that some chose to act in a cowardly manner for no reason, and some wish to promote images that are archaic and wrong-minded.

Perhaps the thought for the year that has just begun will be that time has passed, but people may not have. Trends come and go, but some come back. And if we forget we will not travel back in time but relive the failures of the past. But I will try to keep the thought that the unexpected can be positive and invigorating. Those sweet and innocent acts can happen any day at any time. Boise State proved it, as did the player that is now engaged. I hope the executives at Time Warner saw it too, and learned. Maybe the rest of the year will follow their example (Boise). I can only hope.

This is what I think, what do you think?