How come everyone else but us recognizes what bind s them and works together in that area as needed. Black people in particular (across the diaspora) have to emphasis community and culture first because it has been robbed of us and we're damn near stripped naked. Placing the individual before the unit is not necessarily our cultural heritage or the best way...period. <P>But whatever. Could you tell me how its in the best interest of you (speaking generally) as an individual or our community collectively for so many black men to marry outside of the race? The numbers are incredibly disproportionate (black men marry nonblack women more than any other type of man marries outside of his race or cultural background and more than 4xs than black women marry nonblack men). Also, how do you exhibit love for who you are as a black person (blackness being part of what defines you, even if there were not racism in this world) when you do not chose to love that (a black women) which is required to help you make MORE black people?<P>I (like most black americans) come from a very racially mixed heritage. My sister & brother are a product of a black/white marriage. I love them but even they recognize the issues that this creates in a world where blackness of skin is straight hated & degraded. Maintaining this system of white male patriarchy (globally) requires the one drop rule....by creating mixed children, you create mixed allegiances and to what end? How does a white woman raise a black child? For this system to continue, a mixed child will never be considered white. Black culture loses in these marriages, particularly in nonblack female/black male unions because WOMEN are the keepers of culture (ie, a white woman who does not braid the nappy hair of her mixed black child does not pass this instance of CULTURAL HERITAGE on and it will eventually die). Being black is about complexion but its more than that too. Who will preserve who & what we are? Historically, in our interaction with caucasians it is our cultural heritage that gets either suppressed or stolen..leaving us (in the end) behind once again.<P>As for love, romantic love as a basis for marriage is not only a fairly new concept but one that hasn't been proven to be "good" for our society or to even "work". Romantic love is known to be extremely unstable but morality, values, common purpose are more solid. The question is how does marriage to a nonblack woman fit in with your values & purpose as a black man. If you say blackness (physical and cultural) plays no part in who you are as a person then I guess you wouldn't have any reservations about finding a mate outside of your background BUT if it does matter to you then it would seem necessary to involve yourself with a black woman who should have a natural focus in areas of your concern.