Love, Race & the ‘Mixed Marriage Project’

Dorothy Roberts, legal scholar and author of "The Mixed Marriage Project," discusses her memoir, which explores love, race, and family through the lens of her parents' interracial marriage and her father's research on interracial couples in Chicago. Roberts uncovers her father's early interest in interracial marriage, dating back to the 1930s, which challenges her initial understanding that his research was sparked by his love for her mother. The Manassa Society, a social club for interracial couples, reveals hierarchies even within communities built on love across the color line, excluding black women due to racist stereotypes. Roberts also grapples with her own identity as a black woman with a white father, acknowledging his influence on her work against racism while questioning the notion that interracial love alone can dismantle systemic inequalities.