Why Dating in Paris Isn't Black and White

By
We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Interracial relationships in America are very different than those abroad, and Ebony's arts and culture editor, Miles Marshall Lewis, reflects on his time in Paris and what he learned about their cultural intersection.

"Thoughts about mixed couples are different in the U.S.," I explained once the performances finished. "Black women look at Black guys choosing White girls and think they have a problem with blackness, or they're scared of Black women, or they think they're too good for sisters."

"I think we're growing up more together here," Christine said. "You told me before that you grew up in the Bronx with all kinds of races. But in New York, this is not what I experienced." She'd lived there about 15 months before returning to France. "I remember taking the train to the Bronx, and after 116th Street there's no more White people on the train. I'm not saying we're going to see Black people in the 16th arrondissement, not really. But in the average neighborhood here, you're going to have une mixité. What makes the real difference is that we're growing up together, so we're going to learn the other person's culture, and maybe enjoy the person for who they are."

Read Miles Marshall Lewis' entire piece at Ebony.

The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff. 

Advertisement