Painting with Color

Interracial Relationships- Painting with Color In the 18th century, who you married depending greatly on your race, culture, and your religious upbringing; in this day and age it is argued that the only external component that matters is the love that binds two people in holy matrimony. Although the institution of marriage has been around for many centuries, not all civil unions are legal, as is the case of homosexuals. Although more and more couples are taking the plunge, they seem to be conflicted on issues concerning their premeditated affiliations. Race, culture, and religion should not have a negative effect on anyone’s decision to wed their significant other; interracial dating is a reason why the Untied States is a glorious melting pot of opportunity.

In the 21st century, people have developed an increasingly open mindset. As a nation we strive for equality: giving women the right to vote, ending segregation, and have even elected our first African American president. Now more than ever, race is not an issue when it comes to the daily lives of citizens, let alone their love lives. Therefore, interracial marriage has contributed to the diversity and complexity of these United States. Where would we be without Jimi Hendrix, Jessica Alba, Bob Marley, or Steve Jobs? (All of whom were born from parents of different races). In Gary Soto’s work Like Mexican- he describes how his grandmother told him to marry within the Hispanic population. If the Spanish hadn’t had relations with the native people of Latin America when they first arrived from Spain, there would have been no Mestizo population to carry on their heritage. If everyone were confined within their own race, the world would be a canvas of primary colors.

Culture is- as defined by Dictionary.com- the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. People don’t necessarily belong to just one culture; a person can belong to the youth culture, while still