What's Wrong With This Picture?

Last fall, I was in a shoe store with Caroline when I noticed a beautiful sister staring at us. As we passed her, she muttered "Too bad" to her girlfriend. "It's sad," said Hencke, whose wife of six years is white. "I come from a family where my mother's black and my father's white . . . my own upbringing was colorblind. Race was never an issue in my family." I can relate. Having been raised by progressive, racially tolerant parents, I never feared incurring their wrath for bringing home a girl who didn't have a matching tan. Lately at movies, bars and restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and the Washington area, friends and I have seen an increase in black women dating men of other races. Still, considering black men's high rates of unemployment and incarceration, I understand black women's concerns about "losing" eligible brothers to women of other ethnicities.

So does my friend Majeedah Johnson, a 25-year-old African American writer living in the District. "If you meet someone you're compatible with who's outside your ethnic background, that's great," she said. "But if [the attraction] is based on self-hatred or prejudice, I have a problem with it." No kidding. A former college roommate of mine dated white women exclusively. His rationale: Because of the stereotype that black women are too strong, difficult and self-righteous, he perceived white women as an easier option. His skewed perception is very un-Millennial. Brothers who reject black women -- or any group of women -- are as foolish and repugnant as the white racists whom they despise. As Majeedah put it, "They're the ones missing out."

Of course, having been raised in a diverse middle-class neighborhood in Silver Spring and having attended a large, urban university probably has everything to do with my viewpoint. Barry Canty, 33, is a black Los Angeles filmmaker whose upcoming indie-comedy, "L.A. Proper" features a racially diverse cast of 20- and 30-somethings. Canty said that although many in our generation live or were raised in comparatively colorblind settings, those in more segregated communities probably see things differently. "What separates many minorities from embracing diversity is their socioeconomic background," he said.

In Mecklenburg County, N.C., where Canty grew up in a diverse middle-class neighborhood, the lower you were on the economic totem pole, the more segregated your neighborhood was. "In high school, many of the poorer blacks were shocked at how easy it was for me to interact with people of other races," he said. "I think their point of view was affected by their economic status."

Perhaps it seems that Millennials like me are deaf, dumb and blind to the continuing injustices that people of color face. Racism isn't extinct; its effects are ongoing. Earlier this month in East Texas, Chris Wright, a 26-year-old African American, was hospitalized in critical condition after being dragged by a truck driven by a 24-year-old white man who turned himself in and faces assault charges. Wright's girlfriend is white, and according to his family, the incident marked the brutal conclusion of racial taunts the couple has endured for months. The NAACP is pushing to have the assault classified as a hate crime.

As horrific as that incident was, it's important to acknowledge progress and to keep fighting for an even more tolerant society. Although popular, multiethnic TV shows such as "Grey's Anatomy," "Heroes" and "Lost" reflect our nation's and world's ever-increasing diversity, the most powerful force for bringing diversity into American homes is the Internet. Web sites such as MySpace, Friendster and Facebook have created multicultural and ethnic social networks that have made it possible to connect with and befriend people from a universe of cultures just a click away.

The recent uproar over journalist Kenneth Eng's infamous article "Why I Hate Blacks" in AsianWeek showed that some Millennials -- Eng is 23 -- aren't there yet. Eng's abusive grocery list of reasons why people should continue to "discriminate against blacks" was outrageous -- and instructive. My initial reaction wasn't anger but pity for the author, who probably constructed his hateful assumptions based on his negative encounters with African Americans. His article, however wrongheaded, was like this one -- observations drawn from scenes of his own unique experiences.

As strongly as I disagree with his statements, I have no problem with him freely speaking his mind. Everyone in this country has a right to be heard. It's his opinion. Considering how many real advances Americans have made when it comes to tolerance, I have to say:

No big deal.

jboybritt@yahoo.com

Justin Britt-Gibson is a Los Angeles freelance journalist and screenwriter.