Interracial Dating

Written December 10, 2007
Describe a major event in your life and how it affected you.
I would consider my entire life until this point to be major events that have affected me. After a parents divorce, mother’s remarriage, strict religious upbringing, competitive young adulthood, enlistment into the army, deployment to Kuwait, and battle with acceptance of an interracial relationship, choosing the one that has affected me the most is difficult. I have chosen to describe the most recent event that affects not only me but the person that I am in love with. I am currently in an interracial relationship which has taught me so much about love, life, peace, understanding, and acceptance.

In high school there were less than ten black students. My first black friend was a girl that I met in college. We became best friends since we lived next door to each other. I didn’t see anything wrong with interracial dating, but I knew that people around here in the south still have some issues with the idea.

When I was deployed to Kuwait, I became best friends with a black man who I grew to love. My parents were uneasy about this decision as well as a few of my best friends. I knew that this would be a hot topic for people to discuss in my small suburban hometown. It took a little bit of time for me to be strong and stand up for what I believed. My entire perception and outlook on life has changed dramatically after this experience. When I talk to people from home, I realize that my views and beliefs are so different from them. Even after explaining things to them they just don’t understand that:

I understand that everybody is different whether by race, color, religion, language, or life experiences. We shouldn’t judge people because they are not like us, but we should be interested in them to find out what makes them unique. We can learn from them, appreciate them, and in my case fall in love with them. I am affected by this because I remember each day that my current relationship has opened up my eyes to the world and far beyond the small minds and judgmental people from my past.