The Gray Area: A qualitative exploration of the unconventional dynamics of black/white couples

Yorkshire

Although the number of black/white marriages has significantly increased since the 1970s, interracial marriage is far more common between whites and members of other minority groups, making black/white pairing still rare (Carolyn, Sitawa, & Murray, 2013). As Rockquemore and Brunsma (2001) argued, blacks and whites continue to be the two groups with the most spatial separation, the greatest social distance, and the strongest taboos against interracial marriage. In this qualitative study, common themes will be analyzed to contribute to literature regarding black/white interracial romantic relationships. The research question guiding this exploratory qualitative study will be to explore how black/white couples describe their experience and what these pairings reveal about black/white race relations presently. Grounding the research in the bioecological theory, this study allows for an intimate portrayal of the two races as they navigate interacting systems.