Ghetto Lovestory???

The year 2009 is truly going to be a year of change. Besides the impact that our president is going to make on the economy, and overseas, and taxes and all that, he will also be making a HUGE impact on the way black couples are portrayed in the media. Before Obama and his lovely wife Michelle stepped into the spotlight, there really was not a black couple that represented all the aspects that they represent. Here is a man and woman, who are successful, driven, they are great parents and so genuinely in love. And whats the best part is that they are BLACK. In the media black relationships have usually been depicted as violent, unstable, scandalous and lacking intimacy. Think about The Notebook. Its one of the most loved romance stories in our culture and it truly is a a beautiful movie about two young people and their summer love. However I couldnt think of one movie that is similar to The Notebook, played by black characters. Black movies fall under the same 3 categories: Bio, Violence/Action, and good old comedy. Which is fine because that is part of our community, good or bad. However the world doesnt get to witness that in all actuality there are black couples who are very intimate, romantic, committed, and very much in love. I looked at a few blogs and one that caught my attention was the posting of a list of a womans favorite 15 black famous couples. The list was good to see because its rare that black couples are actually recognized (aside from Jay-Z and Beyonce, Chris & Rihanna) and at the end the blogger made a great observation: only 3 of the listed couples were actually married. Even Oprah and Stedman are not married. Its my belief that the lack of romance in black relationship portrayals does have an influence on the society as a whole because people dont ever aim for more than a baby momma or daddy. This is a lot to think about!


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