Key points
- We have come a long way in the number of intermarriages and in our acceptance of them.
- Intermarried couples generally feel optimistic about the future of intermarriage.
- Challenges still arise and these couples often carefully select where they live and with whom they socialize.
As we turn the page on our first 250 years as a country, it is remarkable how far we have come in terms of intermarriage. Marriage between Black people and white people was banned in many colonies (later states) as well as between other races. It was only 59 years ago, in the 1967 Loving Supreme Court Decision, that intermarriage was finally legalized nationally at a time when many southern states still banned it. Today, one in ten marriages is interracial or interethnic (between Hispanic/Latinos and non-Hispanic/Latinos). Asian Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans are most likely to intermarry and Whites are the least likely.
In our 2026 book, Interracial marriage: How diverse couples navigate relationships in a divided time, Victoria Stubbs, Michael Woolley and I document that many couples are doing well in their marriages, rate them highly, and are optimistic about the future for interethnic and interracial marriages. At the same time, and at a period in our history where hate crimes based on race and ethnicity are still being recorded at a high level, a number of couples are also looking over their shoulder and have arranged their lives to avoid uncomfortable situations that mono-racial and mono-ethnic couples do not avoid.
These couples are part of the wave of newlyweds intermarrying, now one in six. Not surprisingly, if they are living in a diverse neighborhood or city, they feel more comfortable. Many have carefully chosen where to live, what social groups to join and what social groups to avoid, and where to vacation. Attendance at family events may be curated based on how accepted they feel with each other’s family. While immediate family members are usually accepting, more distant ones may be less so
Mixed-race children are more comfortable in their social environments as their numbers increase, consistent with the increase in intermarriage. Challenges do remain for some, as children may not look like either parent and may not look like each other. Identity formation, often a challenge for every tween and teen, may change based on what social group and possibly what racial group identity they choose. Some mixed-race children seek out others who have the same mixed-race identity
Racial perspective-taking is one tried and true approach for these families and for us as a nation. They, and we, must listen to each other, inquire about race-related experiences without challenging, and accept that perspectives may differ based on racial history and gender identity. Stereotypes generally become less invidious if we get to know people who we may stereotype. So, let’s begin to listen in “stereo” as interracial couples and families, who are making their marriages work, are doing. They have triumphed over difference and we must also.
Greif, G.L., Stubbs, V.D., & Woolley, M.E. (2026). Interracial marriage: How Couples navigaterelationships in a divided time.Columbia University Press
