A Less Talked About Love; Inter-racial Relationship
By: Natalia Carden
As we know today, love can take many different forms. One form talked about the least is inter-racial love and even further is inter-racial dating. This type of relationship has its own set of special quirks and problems that the couple can face. To gain insight on this rarely seen love, I asked an inter-racial couple the typical things that they face in their relationship on the spectrum of the attention they get from the public to how their family views their relationship and the cultural differences they face.
Kassandra Gonzalez and Nathan Kinney.
Kassandra Gonzalez and Nathan Kinney have been dating for 3-in-a-half years. Kassandra (also known as Kassy), is 22 years old and Dominican. Nathan (also known as Nate), is 24 years old, Irish, German and Polish. They meet back at their hometown at the Golden Corral. Kassy worked as a server there first, while Nate visited often, then later applied and got the job. Kassy’s mother was the “one who pushed them together” by simply saying, “you two should date,” they exchanged numbers and hit it off.
One of the first questions asked was about how outsiders affect their relationship. Kassy felt she was more aware of other people when they are out in public; given certain looks when they hold hands or kiss. In her community, she explains how they see her as a “sell out,” because she is not with a Dominican man but it does not really affect her personally because her mother is supportive of them. Kassy said she didn’t feel any different that when she Nate’s, father’s side has a harder time accepting Kassy because of the way they were raised, but his mother’s side doesn’t see her race and they both say that she “loves her.”
Culturally because of their ancestry, they both come from very different backgrounds, which include their own set of customs and beliefs. For example, Kassy’s family celebrates Christmas differently than Nate’s because her family opens presents on Christmas Eve, while Nate’s family opens them on Christmas day. They both talk about how in the future, because they want to get married, this can affect what they will do with their own family; they have to decide which customs they want to keep on either side, which can open up their relationship things they both want to incorporate that the other might not feel 100% on.
Kassy explains one of her main concerns as “having my children know how to speak Spanish because a lot of my extended family doesn’t know English; I want them to be able to communicate with them,” Kassy also expresses she has been trying to get Nate to learn Spanish for a while so he too can communicate with her family. Nate’s family is very religious; they practice Christianity and go to Church every Sunday, one of his big things is having his children Baptized when they are born while Kassy believes that they should wait until they are older so they can decide for themselves.
Just like any relationship, they have their disagreements and trials and just like any other relationship; they believe they can work through it. They do not see the color of each skin, they see the person they fell for and how they are when they are with each other. “We both know that we want to be together and that this is what we want,” they also have already started discussing some ideas for their wedding, whenever that day may come. These two are living proof that love has no color or classification.