particular social groups to become part of their close social network

Social distance is the degree to which one allows particular social groups to become part of their close social network. Interracial romantic relationships represent the smallest degree of social distance. Notwithstanding interracial relationships are not common, they are characterized by respect to each other, support, which is in contrast to popularly held beliefs that interracial romantic relationships cannot work and therefore must be dysfunctional. Unfortunately, interracial romantic relationships face the harsher societal reaction than cross-race friendships. However, Americans who grow up in integrated neighborhoods and schools are more likely to be involved in an interracial romantic relationship. Elizabeth Page-Gould & Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton from University of California, Berkeley chose to analyze two groups of people (married and unmarried cohabiters) to represent serious romantic relationships in the USA. Of those 120,853,000 US citizen respondents involved in serious romantic relationships, 94.3 percent is in same-race relationships and approximately 5.7 percent is in cross-race relationships. Generally, Caucasians and African-Americans were much less likely cohabiting with an interracial partner (in contrast with Hispanic-Americans and other race). One of the reasons could be the harsher societal attitudes towards black and white unions. It appears that unmarried cohabiting partners are more likely to be interracial than married partners. The Gaines & Leaver 2002 research in 2000 shows that 5.8 percent of unmarried African-Americans lives in interracial relationship and 10.3. percent of African-Americans is interracially married. The research mentions that only 3.2 percent of unmarried Caucasians cohabitates interracially and 6.8 percents is married out of their race, which is the smallest number of all races (African-Americans, Latin-American, Native-American and other race). Even though Caucasians in married and cohabiting relationships are less likely to be in cross-race relationships than people of other ethnicities, Caucasians still account for the majority of people in interracial cohabiting relationships in the U.S. in 2000 (approximately 45.9%) <http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~liz/interracialrelationships/#introduction>.

At first, the history is the main factor that needs to be considered when thinking about any racial mater. History explains development of the cultural habits and differences. From the historical point of view, it can be said that many completely different ethnicities: Europeans, Native Americans and finally people with African ancestry lived in the USA territory. Europeans on one side and Native Americans and Africans on the other side created an unusual society. Important fact to mention is that people are still people and amalgamation has been an indivisible part of everyday life and of every culture.

Dalmage, Heather M., Tripping on the Color Line: Black-White Multiracial Families in a Racially Divided World. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2000.

George, Douglas, and George Yancey. “Taking Stock of America’s attitudes on Cultural Diversity: An Analysis of Public Deliberation on Multiculturalism, Assimilation and Intermarriage.” Journal of Comparative Family Studies. 35.1 (2004): 1-19.

Jordan, Winthrop D. The White Man’s Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974

Kalmijn, Matthijs. “Trends in Black/White Intermarriage.” Social Forces. 72.1 (1993): 119- 126

Owens, Leslie H. This Species of Property: Slave Life and Culture in the Old South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976.

Root, Maria P.P., Love’s Revolution: Interracial Marriage. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001.

Sollors, Werner. Interracialism: Black-White Intermarriage in American History, Literature, and Law. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Spickard, Paul R., Mixed Blood: Intermarriage and Ethnic Identity In Twentieth-Century America. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1989.

Yancey, George A and Sherelyn Yancey W., eds. Just don´t marry one: interracial dating, marriage, and parenting. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2002.

Yancey, George. “Who Interracially Dates: An Examination of the Characteristic of Those Who have Interracially Dated”. Journal of Comparative Family Studies 33.2 (2000): 179-190.
Secondary literature:
Carroll, Janell L., Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2004.

Craig-Henderson, Kellina M. Black Men In Interracial Relationships- What´s Love Got to Do With This?. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2006.

Cretser, Gary A. and Joseph J. Leon, eds. Intermarriage in the United States: Marriage & Family Review. New York: Haworth Press, 1982.

Dickey, Eric J., Milk in My Coffee. New York: Dutton, 1998.

Driskill, Lawrence J. Cross-Cultural Marriages and the Church: Living the Global Neighborhood. California: Hope Publishing House, 1995.

Hubbard, Vicki L., Chocolate Burnout: A Ligtherated Novel Dealing with Some Humourous Aspects of Interracial relationships. New York: iUniverse, 2006.

Jackson, Ronald L., ed. African American Communication & Identities: Essentials Readings. California: Sage Publications, 2003.

Lamanna, Marry A., and Agnes Riedman. Marriages & Families: Making Choices in a Diverse Society. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.

Lubin, Alex. Romance and Rights: The Politics of Interracial Intimacy, 1945-1954. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.

Moran, Rachel F. Interracial Intimacy: The Regulation of Race and Romance. Chicago: University Press of Chicago, 2001.

Socha, Thomas J., and Rhunette C. Diggs, eds. Communication Race and Family H Pod: Exploring Communication in Black, White, and Biracial Families. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999.

Valgeet, Johl. Odd Couples: A Study of Interpersonal Interaction in Private and Public Realms. Ann Arbor, Mich: University Microfilms International, 2002.

Volker, Thomas, Terri Karis A., Joseph Wetchler L., eds. Clinical Issues with Interracial Couples: Theories and Research. New York: Haworth Press, 2003.
Video:
“I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get up” An American Love Story: Episode 3. Writ. Faith Rogow. Dir. Jennifer Fox. TRI, 1999.

INTERNET SOURCES:

“Civil Rights Timeline”. 2006. Pearson Education. 17 April 2007

“The Nation of Islam“. April 2007. Spartacus Educational. 18 April 2007

“About UNCF.“ 2007. United Negro College Fund. 16 April 2007 <http://www.uncf.org/aboutus/index.asp>.

This bachelor thesis is focused on relationships and marriage between Caucasian Americans with European ancestry and African-Americans in the USA. This thesis describes conditions of the encounter of these two ethnicities and further impact of these circumstances on development of their relationships between them. Focusing on development of these relationships in terms of history and law and their impact on today’s society in the USA. The conclusion of this thesis is that in the near future it will not be possible to consider interracial relationships as natural and the number of interracial marriage will not increase radically in the following fifty years.