<p>After putting aside the sports stars and actors, I find that the socioeconomic class of the “white man-black woman” union is more often higher than the “black man-white woman”. I have no idea why.</p>
<p>you guys are so 1950’s. </p>
<p>there is only one famous mixed marriage worth mentioning here
James Carville and Mary Matalin.</p>
<p>Klingon & human?</p>
<p>Wasn’t Alice Walkers husband white?</p>
<p>Yup, Alice Walker and Mel Leventhal. Daughter is the writer Rebecca Walker, author of “Black, White, Jewish”.</p>
<p>Yes, Alice Walker’s husband was white as was Marian Wright Edelman’s husband. However, in both cases, the women were or became more renowned than their husbands.</p>
<p>What I have seen in my real life and in the world of the rich and famous is that it seems that when black men marry white women, the men are liikely to have married down so to speak when it comes to things like education, socioeconomic background or attractiveness.</p>
<p>The opposite seems to be more likely to be true when black women marry white men. </p>
<p>Due to the scarcity of marriage-eligible black men, however, I think that black women are more likely than white women are to marry “down.” I know many black women with advanced degrees including being doctors or having doctorates who are married to men who lack bachelors degrees. This seems to be more common with black women than white women.</p>
<p>Of course, as always, there are exceptions to every rule…</p>
<p>“What I have seen in my real life and in the world of the rich and famous is that it seems that when black men marry white women, the men are liikely to have married down so to speak when it comes to things like education, socioeconomic background or attractiveness.”</p>
<p>“The opposite seems to be more likely to be true when black women marry white men.”</p>
<p>When they married (in 1967), Mel Leventhal was MUCH better known than Alice Walker (who didn’t join the staff of Ms., I think, until 1973); her first book of poetry (“Revolutionary Petunias”) I think dates from 1970; and “The Color Purple” was 1983, long after they divorced.</p>
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<p>True in the cases I’ve known personally: my brother, computer programmer, married to a black lawyer-up-for-judgeship woman; and a good friend (Smith graduate) who dated white men almost exclusively for the reasons northstarmom pointed out, and has never married.</p>
<p>
LOL! Victoria Beckham is a white woman who wears a LOT of fake tan.</p>
<p>I believe I have read that Paul Krugman, the NY Times columnist and Princeton economist is married to an African-American woman.</p>
<p>“All three black males were married to stunningly beautiful white females.”</p>
<p>Another trophy perhaps…? </p>
<p>Isn’t Boo Boo Bowie homosexual?</p>
<p>alwaysamom and cupcake:
Oh. Where’s the smiley face with egg on it?
Someday I’ll learn to stay out of discussions where I have absolutely no clue.</p>
<p>Not to worry, binx. If there was a rule that every participant had to be an expert in each thread, the forum would be mighty bare. 
I admit that I’m fairly well-versed in pop culture, in large part due to having 4 Ds and my job involves counselling youth, and I also have a personal interest! Melanie Brown was in a Broadway show with a family friend, which is another reason I happened to know this.</p>
<p>I think someone touched upon it above. It’s about the trophy.</p>
<p>Whoopi Goldberg seems to only go for the white guys. I think Halle Berry’s current boyfriend is white. I think Pearl Bailey’s hubby was white. Otto Premingher/Dorothy Dandridge? Boris Becker’s wife was black. Tina Turner’s longtime boyfriend is/was a German guy. Mariah Carey/Tony Matola. I think Diana Ross and Ryan O’Neal were together for a while (or at least a few hours).</p>
<p>But the question is about FAMOUS and INFLUENTIAL white men married to black women. We see plenty of celebrity black males married to fairly ordinary white women, but I don’t see a lot of ordinary black women married to celebrity white males. Indeed, I can’t think of any.</p>
<p>There also seem to be a disproportionate number of celebrity black women who’ve never been married at all. Condi Rice and Oprah (I don’t believe in her so-called relationship with Stedson) are examples.</p>
<p>NSM – there were a bunch of them at the beginning of the thread. David Bowie, William Cohen, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Robert De Niro, white guys on Grey’s Anatomy . . . those are all celebrity white males, even if you don’t accept my lower standards of fame and influence.</p>
<p>Just for your information, Dorothy Dandridge was essentially Otto Preminger’s mistress, and not a happy one. Clearly, it was explotation on his part.</p>
<p>Also, I’ll add a historic interracial couple to discussion; Napoleon Bonaparte and Emperoress Josephine. That’s right. She was born on a plantation in Martinique and had African heritage.</p>
<p>I agree that those men are well known, and some are even married to black women who are relatively ordinary in terms of fame and income. Still, those examples are drops in the bucket compared to the celebrity black males who are married to ordinary (in terms of fame and income) white women.</p>
<p>NSM you have hit upon a topic that concerns all parents of AfAm Ds. I am far more worried than H and it is making, finding the right college fit for D a major concern.</p>
<p>
I think his name is Stedman.</p>
<p>TutuTaxi,
I don’t blame you for being concerned. If I had daughters, I’d feel the same way, and also would be considering their dating opportunities as part of the college selection process.</p>
<p>It is heart breaking to see how black males are viewed as desireable by women of a variety of races while black females seem to be viewed as wall flowers. It’s also sad to see how few eligible black males there are due to the large numbers in prison and who lack education (even high school education) or decent, legitimate jobs (I am not saying that to be eligible, a guy has to be a doctor, but he certainly should be able to support himself through a legal job!).</p>