2017 marked 50 years since interracial marriage became legal across the United States. Over the course of the year, we’ve spoken to 50 different people – 25 couples – about what it’s like to be in an interracial marriage today. In this, the final regularly scheduled episode in the series, we take a look back at favorite moments from those interviews, and look at common themes among the stories. We’ve heard stories about reactions from family members and from the community; ways that couples in interracial relationships have learned to think about race in America differently, and how they’ve learned to navigate the world together in new ways; and some of the new traditions that are formed when individuals with very different backgrounds come together to form a family. We want to thank all the couples that have shared their stories over the past year, and we hope that you’ll continue having conversations about these topics in your own lives. -Brad & Farrah

Jen and Ermias Jen is white and grew up in Philadelphia, while Ermias is black and Eritrean. They met in Eritrea in 1995 when Jen was there as a Peace Corps volunteer. They had a long distance relationship for a while and just when Ermias was on the verge of leaving to come to the US, war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They eventually got married shortly after the war ended in 2000, although it took another 5 years before they were able to move to the US together. They now live in Philadelphia with their two sons. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Jen and Ermias discuss the experience of coming together during a turbulent time, learning to deal with racism in America, and why they recently moved their family to Ethiopia for a year.

Jean and Mas have been together since 1972 and married since 1992.  Jean is white and was raised in Rochester, New York. Mas is Japanese-American and he was born in an internment camp during World War II and grew up in Seabrook, New Jersey. Both longtime civil right activists, Jean and Mas met while they were both working for the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. In this episode of the Loving Project, Jean and Mas talk about how their different backgrounds affect the way they communicate and how they’ve learned to navigate the world together.  

Ken is Irish and Mee is Korean-American. They met when Ken flew from Ireland to the United States for a friend’s wedding, and the two quickly hit it off and began a long distance relationship. For a couple of years they flew back and forth between New York and Dublin to spend time together. The turning point in their relationship was September 11; as he watched the Twin Towers fall, Ken realized he didn’t want to be thousands of miles away from Mee. Soon thereafter, the couple began the emigration process and Ken moved to New York. They now reside in the suburbs of Philadelphia In this episode of the Loving Project, Ken and Mee discuss the immigration process, the similarities and differences between Korean and Irish culture, and raising biracial children to appreciate both of their parents’ cultures.

Joshu and Marleny met online in 2011. After a potentially disastrous first date, they hit it off and eventually got married in 2014. They now live in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood. Joshu is white and Marleny is black and was born in the Dominican Republic. She grew up speaking Spanish the fact that Joshu is a fluent speaker helped him quickly and easily integrate into her immigrant family. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Joshu and Marleny talk about how their relationship has helped them better understand everyday racial dynamics and their experiences in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election.

David and Belinda David and Belinda were part of each other’s worlds before they even met. David would ride his bike to and from work in Pleasantville, NJ and Belinda would occasionally wave to him, a passing stranger, as she drove by. It so happened that they worked for the same company and later met at a training event at work. Although Belinda was initially reluctant, they eventually began dating and then got married in 1985. The couple has 3 children; the two oldest are from a previous relationship of David’s and the youngest is Belinda’s biological daughter, whom David adopted. In this episode of the Loving Project, David and Belinda discuss the ways in which their relationship has broadened their understanding, what they’ve learned about cultural differences, and how their unique personalities and backgrounds come together to create a balanced relationship.

Lisa and Kevin Lisa is white, and grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania. Kevin is Korean and was raised in Western Pennsylvania by his adopted parents, who are white. They met in Philadelphia, got married in 2009, and now live in New Jersey with their two young daughters. In this episode of the Loving Project, Lisa and Kevin discuss their unique family, the incorrect assumptions people make about them and their children, and the complexities of racial and cultural identity that can come with trans-racial adoption.

Len and Fernando met and started dating in 1981 but they didn’t get married until 2014, over 3 decades later. They literally fought for the right to marry; they were among several LGBT couples who were plaintiffs in the lawsuit that resulted in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania, a year before the US Supreme Court decision on marriage quality. Len is white and grew up in Vermont; Fernando is Cuban-Chinese and grew up in Florida. They live in Philadelphia with their adopted daughter, who is African-American. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Len and Fernando discuss what its like to be part of a multiracial, multicultural family; how their differences enrich their lives and relationships; and why it was important to them to get involved in the fight for marriage equality.

Jen and Shawn met in 2004 under sad circumstances when they lost a mutual friend. Eleven years later, they got married and now live in Lansdowne, PA with their 2-year-old son. Shawn is African American, and grew up in South Philadelphia while Jen is white, and spent her early years in Central Pennsylvania before her family moved to suburban Philadelphia. In this episode of the Loving Project, Jen and Shawn discuss raising a biracial child and how people respond to their multi-colored, interracial family.

Courtney and Kate Kate and Courtney met while they were both students at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Courtney is black, and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Kate is white, and grew up in Buffalo, New York. They’ve lived in Baltimore and Washington DC, and now make their home together in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood. They’ve been together since 1999, and married in 2014 after same-sex marriage was legalized in Pennsylvania. In this episode of the Loving Project, they discuss growing up in multiracial families, differences between racism (and food) in the North and South, and navigating life as a multiracial same-sex couple.

Christine and Steve with their son, Zevi Christine is black, and grew up in Glassboro, NJ; while Steve is white and was raised in Philadelphia, PA. They met in Philadelphia in the 1960’s against the backdrop of the civil rights and Black Power movements. They made their home in the city’s Powelton Village neighborhood, which had a strong counterculture community. Later the couple moved to New York City, where they felt more acceptance as an interracial couple. They eventually returned to Philadelphia, where they raised their son while running an alternative bookshop on Philadelphia’s bohemian South Street. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast Steve and Christine share what it was like to be in an interracial relationship at such a pivotal and tumultuous time in the history of American race relations and reflect on the how far society has (or hasn’t) progressed since then.

Lesley and Cord Lesley and Cord met while Lesley was working at Duke University and Cord was a graduate student at the school. In their very first conversation, Lesley impressed  Cord with her critique of his favorite medieval author, St. Augustine, even though they had very different impressions of him. Despite their differences, the two became friends, and eventually began dating while both graduate students at Duke. Lesley grew up in North Carolina while Cord was raised in New Jersey and Philadelphia. They got married in 2009 and live in Philadelphia with their three year-old daughter. In this episode of the Loving Project, Cord and Lesley discuss the impact of the 2016 election, the intersection of African-American and Southern culture, and their intentional approach to parenting a biracial child You can also read the essay Lesley wrote for WHYY here.

David and Eric Eric and David married nearly 5 decades after the Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage, but just a year after another Court ruling that made same-sex marriages like theirs legal across the United States. Eric is black, and grew up in a black neighborhood in Baltimore. David is white and grew up in a small town in Oregon; the couple met in Philadelphia. In this episode of the Loving Project, Eric and David talk about faith, falling in love, and coming to terms with the role race plays in their relationship with each other, with the world, and with the child they hope to raise together one day.

Mike and Kim met while working in a research lab at the University of Pennsylvania. At the time, Mike was a senior, while Kim had recently finished her PhD and was working as a postdoctoral researcher while raising her 10-year-old son.They bonded over music and eventually got married in 2015, about a decade after they first met. Mike is the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who grew up in an agricultural area of Maryland, while Kim hails from Southern New Jersey. In this episode of the Loving Project, they discuss food, culture, stereotypes, and the serendipitous circumstances that brought them together.

50 years ago today, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Loving v. Virginia. That decision rendered all state laws banning interracial marriage unconstitutional and made it legal for individuals of different races to marry all across the USA. Instead of telling one couple’s story, in this episode we hear from eight different couples about their thoughts on the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision. The following couples are included in the episode: Aarati & Jonathan Christine & Craig Courtney & Dave Craig & Donna Eric & David Florence & Ed Lesley & Cord Michelle & Melissa

Florence and Ed in 2011 Florence and Ed met in the 1960’s in Nashville while they were in college – Ed at Vanderbilt and Florence at Fisk University. They began dating after getting to know each other as co-facilitators for the Upward Bound program and got married in 1968, just over a year after the Loving v. Virginia decision. They have two adult sons and a granddaughter. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Florence and Ed share what it was like to date as an interracial couple in Tennessee in the 1960’s, how they handled objections from family members, and their concerns about having biracial children at a time when they had no models of multiracial families to look to. They also reflect on the 50th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the court decision that enabled them to marry in Florence’s home state of North Carolina and made marriages like theirs legal nationwide.

Michelle and Melissa at their wedding Michelle and Melissa met in college and were together for 12 years before getting married in 2017. Although they are both Philadelphia natives, they hail from very different parts of the city. Melissa, who is white, grew up in Bridesburg, a neighborhood with a reputation for racism, while Michelle, who is Black, hails from Mount Airy, an area well known for diversity and inclusion. The reactions of their families to their relationship mirrors those of their communities – Michelle’s family welcomed Melissa with open arms but Melissa’s relationships with some extended family members are strained due to their attitudes towards Michelle. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Melissa and Michelle discuss how the current political climate impacted their decision to get married and what its like to navigate the world as both an interracial and a same-sex couple.

Lori and Manuel with their children Lori and Manuel have been married since 1999. Manuel is white and grew up in Spain. Lori is black and grew up in Wisconsin. They met at university in Spain, where Lori was studying abroad; eventually Manuel joined her in the United States where they lived first in New York and then in Philadelphia. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, Lori and Manuel talk about what it’s like to raise biracial, bilingual children who are equally at home both in the US and in Spain. They also share their own experiences coming to terms with being part of an interracial marriage. As one of a tiny number of Black students in her Wisconsin high school Lori dreamed of going to Spain, a place where she believe she would feel less “different”. Once there, Lori realized that in Spain she stood out just as much as she did in her home country. However, in Manuel she found someone who had no preconceptions about her and was genuinely open to and interested in people from different cultures. Although he had seen racial discrimination – primarily directed at gypsies – while he was growing up, when he moved to the USA, Manuel was surprised to learn firsthand about some of the racism that Black Americans faced on a daily basis. The family now lives in Philadelphia’s Mount Airy neighborhood with their three children.  Lori is an author who has written about colorism and her experience becoming part of a multiracial family.

Aarati and Jonathan Aarati and Jonathan got married in 2006. Jonathan is White and Jewish and Aarati is Indian-American. They met in Chicago, where Aarati was pursuing her PhD and Jonathan was working as a journalist. They later moved to Washington DC, and then Philadelphia. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Jonathan was unfamiliar with the daily realities of racism in the United States before he met and married Aarati and became the parent to two biracial children. Whereas Aarati, who was born in India and grew up in mixed race communities in Delaware describes herself as a “race straddler”. Currently, they both work in the arena of racial and social justice. In this episode of the Loving Project podcast, they discuss the joys of sharing both their cultures with their children and of watching them develop their own racial identities.

Anastasia and Symeon Anastasia and Symeon met online while they were working at the same university. They got married in 2011 and live in Philadelphia with their two young sons. Symeon’s family is from Philadelphia, but he grew up in rural New York state, while Anastasia grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the episode, they discuss the things they have in common, such as a love of travel, close relationships with their families, and a history of being “the kid with the weird name”. They also reflect on the ways their backgrounds sometimes lead them to view the world differently, how they find common ground, and what it’s like to raise biracial children in a racialized world.