□ University interracial cou
ples may not worry about
physical assaults, but they
do face more subtle forms
of prejudice
By Tammy Baley
Emorale! Rgportof
VVhilo most couples simply worry
about meshing thoir dlffoninl personal
ities. Interracial couples must deal with
prejudice, and sometimes, violence.
In an oxlrcmo case, an interracial
couple In Portland recently luid crosses
burned on thoir (root lawn, and thoir
children were threatened.
On the University c.impus, however,
students involved in interracial rela
tionships say they don't worry about
physical or verbal assaults Instead,
they say they face subtler forms of prej
udice. including misconceptions and
stereotypes,
Jodi, who asked that lu-r last name
not Is! used, is half Native American
and half while She said shit's dated
iwo Afrii un-Amoricnn men
Jodi said her white male friends and
the African-American women she came
in contnt t will) both reacted negatively
toward her ritlatlonships
"The white males seemed jealous
They would ask, 'Why are you always
dating lilac.k men?' " Jcxli said "II was
initially a shock, wln-n 1 was labeled,
'Oh. |odt onlv dales bl.u k men ' i know
a lot ol IjI<n k women have a resentment
toward w 111U* girls who date lilac k men
I think they think it'# a throat to thorn "
Ono tlmo she said she was walking
with an African-American main friend
and a white man told her, "1 can’t
stand mixers."
"i think it’s socially unaccepted,"
Jodi said "It’s a threat Thorn's a back
lash of racism in our society today
There's still something that says races
shouldn't be intimately involved "
Sandy Tsunoyoshi, Student Health
Center senior staff psychologist, said
it's very Important for lint person In the
couple who Is of the dominant culture
to be understanding of the prejudices
directed ai the person of color
"You experience very disturbing and
rude behavior if you're a mixed cou
ple," said Tsunoyoshi. "I've boon rude
iv stared ai Sometimes, you gel the im
pression you're an alien when people
stare with their mouths hanging open "
Two minorities of different cultures
face "double trouble," Tsunoyoshi
said These couples face opposition
from their dlfTarent cultures and from
the dominant culture
Some people may become involved
in interracial relationships for the
wrong reasons. Tsunoyoshi said White
people mas date people of color be
c ause they have stereotypes of people
of color People of tailor may date out
side their i ulitire because they're re
jecting their culture and the prejudice
they face
"Some people have a strong rejection
about their culture and not wanting to
he anything like their culture."
i suneyoshi said "They have self ha
tred They hang around with only poo
Brian Rivera and Yuki Kumaahiro are one of many interracial couples on campus
who must deal with outsiders misconceptions and stereotypes.
pits nol like them because thoy don't
want to faco their Identity.”
University student Leslie Hwa said
she's dated threo white men She said
she was never asked out on dates in
high school. Hwa said she believes this
is because she is half Korean and half
whitu.
"Men don't ask me out, and I honest
ly think it's becauso I'm Asian," Hwa
said ''If I go to a bar with all of my
friends, thuy will be askud to dance
and I'm the only one loft at the bur I
think it has to do with my race "
Hwa said older men ask her out, and
she believes this is bocauso they have
internalized the media's stereotypes of
Asian women os submissive.
Other interracial couples say they ex
perieruxf no prejudice but must adjust
to the other person's culture.
Yuki Kumashiro. who is Jupunose
Amortcan, and Ilrlan Rivers, who is
white, have gone out for two years
Kumashiro said sometimes their cultur
al differences t an cause some prob
lems.
"In Japan, the fumtly is really impor
tant," Kumashiro said. “He thinks I’m
too dependent on them, but I think it's
normal, so that's kind of a conflict."
Rivers said hu's learned to appreciate
and respect the differences Ik:tween
their cultures.
“I've learned a lot about her cul
ture," Rivers said "It seems to bo a lot
more peaceful culture than ours. It
seems more polite."
Thomas Frye, a white ex-Marine,
suid his relationship with a Native
American woman was not an Issue
with his friends because many of his
colleagues were dating Native Ameri
cans
“It was no big dual," Fryo said
"There was a problem with her friends,
but 1 can't blame the Natlvo American
for being apprehensive of the white
man "
"As far as I'm concerned," Frye suid,
I see past the color of a person's skin
A person is a person. "
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