Students gathered to discuss the history, culture and their personal experiences with interracial relationships
The Multi-Racial Student Organization (MRSO) held its first meeting of the semester on Monday night. The meeting covered issues around interracial dating and marriage, including club members’ personal experiences on the matter.
Interracial marraige was illegal in the U.S. until 1967. The year marked a groundbreaking decision by the Supreme Court in the case of Loving v. Virginia, which declared that interracial marriage could not be barred by the 14th Amendment.
Club members formed small groups to discuss their experiences with interracial dating.
Karl Agers, a MRSO public relations board member, pointed out the club’s unique position on the matter.
“If you’re mixed, everything is going to be interracial with every relationship,” Agers said.“It helps to talk about it. Because you get to process it, if your a verbal processor or if you want to come listen.”
Keely Mackey, event coordinator for MRSO, said she felt refreshed to walk into the MRSO meeting where people are willing to have conversations about the intricacies of interrational relationships since it is a topic many try to avoid.
MRSO has been engaged in discussions on interracial issues for about a year. MRSO President Hanae Gonzalez said they chose to discuss interracial relationships because it was a matter of intimacy versus isolation.
“We are all wanting to be loved by someone,” Gonzalez said. “It’s very relevant to the time we’re in as young adults. I feel like its a valuable conversation that needs to be had in a positive light.”
Gonzalez said the conversation is important to have and should be approached in different ways, since there can be a lot of hurt based on history. Gonzalez gave an example of how black females have been told their beauty is beneath that of white women, so they can get insecure if a black man dates a white woman. Gonzalez said in this situation their feelings are valid and she encouraged people to approach a conversation like this with empathy.
“For the record, mono-racial couples are equally as beautiful and equally as needed,” Gonzalez said. “People have the right to love who they want to love.”
One of the biggest topics of discussion surrounded the fact that miscegenation has only been legal for 53 years. For some, this indicates that the bias against interracial relationships is still strong. MRSO members asked many thought-provoking questions, including: Are interracial relationships still taboo? How does society view them — positively or negatively?
“Race doesn’t really confine your relationship anymore,” Agers said. “Back in the day, it confined it more because your options were more limited. I think it affects almost all of us eventually.”
Agers’ sentiment was reflected in questions that were asked about how interracial relationships affect different families. Members asked if it’s getting better and what it is like to be in the middle.
“For me, it was very normal, as my parents were [in] an interracial relationship. So, that was the thing to do. Until I started getting older, like in high school, I saw how in different communities it wasn’t accepted,” said Saxon Gutierrez, vice president of MRSO.
Interracial marriages are happening across the U.S., and those who were being ignored are now creating organizations like MRSO on college campuses, Mackey said.
MRSO has completed their pilot program. They are now an official ethnic organization on APU’s campus. The club has been granted a budget and will host their first Expressions Night this year.
“It’s just beautiful, to walk into this space and know that there are people here that want to have a conversation about race and the intricacies of interracial relationship and co-mingling races that you don’t really see co-mingle,” Mackey saod. “It’s just beautiful. I love to walk into spaces like that.”
MRSO encourages any and all students to come and have a conversation. The meetings take place every Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Wilden 119 unless otherwise stated on their instagram.