6 Persistent Myths About Black Love

I stumbled upon this piece on atlantastar.com. It sheds light on the reality of black love, and debunks negative, pervasive myths about black love.

MYTH #1: Black people don’t get married.

One of the most pervasive myths about romantic relationships involving black couples is that their relationships rarely end in marriage. The media and society at large propagate this silly misconception. Some researchers, however, denounce this claim, maintaining that properly analyzed  census data would arrive at different conclusions.

Howard University researcher Ivory A. Toldson  says,“The often-cited figure of 42 percent of black women never marrying includes all black women 18 and older.”

After examining census data from 2005 to 2009, Toldson and Bryant Marks of Morehouse College found that 75 percent of black women marry before age 35. Moreover, black women in small towns have higher marriage rates than white women in urban centers such as New York and Los Angeles, Toldson said.

MYTH #2:  Black men, especially the rich ones, choose women of another race over black women.

While plenty of rap stars, athletes and and other celebrities may choose to date or marry interracially after reaching fame, the opposite is true for most successful black men. When it comes to married brothers with six-figure annual incomes,  83 percent of them tied the knot with a sister, according to Toldson’s census research.

In fact, 85 percent of black male college graduates wed black women, and 88 percent of married black men – of all education and income levels – have black wives. It’s safe to say that most brothers still prefer black women over other races

MYTH #3: Black women come with a lot of baggage.

In relationships, black women aren’t the only ones who come with baggage. Generally speaking, the older the person, the more baggage they are likely to have. The question is whether or not a person has learned from past relationships.

MYTH #4: Educated black women are least likely to get married.

The real story is that education increases the likelihood of marriage for both African-American men and women.

Tara Parker-Pope of The New York Timesreported, “Among black women, 70 percent of college graduates are married by 40, whereas only about 60 percent of black high school graduates are married by that age.”

Black men follow the same trend. In 2008, 76 percent of black men with a college degree married by age 40, in contrast to the 63 percent of black men with just a high school diploma.

Furthermore,  Toldson points out black women with college degrees are more likely to marry than white females who never finished.

MYTH #5: Black men don’t earn as much as black women.

The forecast is not nearly as gloomy as it is portrayed by the media. Black women may graduate from college more than black men, but that  doesn’t mean they always bring home bigger pay checks.

In fact, black men are more likely than black women to bring home at least $75,000 annually. Additionally, the number of black men earning at least $250,000 annually is double that of black women. The numbers suggest there are more than enough financially successful black men to go around.

MYTH #6: Black men don’t commit.

The truth is most men desire relationships, but they’re terrified of committing to someone who they feel may make life harder for them. Black men are no different from most men.

The notion that black men are wary of romantic commitments while black women are especially focused on committing, was turned on its head by a recent NPR poll.

According to poll results, single black men were much more likely to say they were looking for a long-term relationship (43 percent) compared to single black women (25 percent).

PR