I was out the other night having drinks with friends and we started down the rabbit hole of what led us to our professions.  This of course created buzz around our table and other people quickly pulled from their own tables and joined us.  I was three glasses of wine into the conversation when someone asked me a very serious question.

“Why did you choose to write Interracial Romance, specifically bwwm?”

I’ve been asked this before, but the person who asked seemed to be the type that would not take a flippant or even cosmetic answer.  They wanted details; they wanted to decide what side of the proverbial black aisle I sat on.  Was I a blind assimilator or was I truly making conscious decisions?

Anyone in an interracial relationship, who has interracial children, has a friend from another race knows what I speak of.  And I won’t delve too far into that because it’s the subject of a book that I’m writing and I want your responses later.  And it would be awesome to also talk abut this great show, Black-ish, that also hits some damn good points about the contemporary African-American experience.

 

So back to the question…

I cannot lie.  I drank the last of my wine before answering.  After all, I did not know this person and this could easily go out in left field and with it my growing buzz.

“I’m tired of stereotypes,” I said honestly, when I was done with my Chardonnay.

The raised brow of the individual let me know that they understood what I was saying even if I hadn’t elaborated.

Black women aren’t all money-hungry, poor, uneducated, angry, vengeful, loud and obnoxious as many books would have us portrayed.  In fact, we’re quite brilliant.

White men aren’t all rich, powerful, famous, gentle, courageous and classy (with a wink) as books would have them portrayed.

 

Each person is completely unique and there should be a story for each of us.  Now, that’s not going to happen, but it’s great to have a rainbow of stories about bwwm relationships that kill the stereotypes and create new discussion.  We deserve that.    We deserve to not fit into anyone’s box, not be forced to look a certain way, feel a certain way or be accepted only if we come from a certain background.  We need stories that tell a different story, that empower us and that flatter us and that just put us on an equal playing field.

But I’m just one woman with one computer.  So tell me WORLD, what do you think?

Onward,

Latrivia Welch

http://www.latriviawelch.com