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Ngoc (Ella) Nguyen

Professor Carlisi
ESL 33B
1 December 2015
Interracial Marriage to America Culture
Marriage is the start of a new family; it is the connection between a woman and a man in
a value relationship. Furthermore, marriage is like the door of a new house that people have to
walk in and live there. Interracial marriage between Asians and White Americans have increase
rapidly in America and all over the world. Yet, miscegenation has been banned in the past to
prevent people from having a mix race child in America (Interracial Marriage). Despite the
difficulties between the two races that interracial marriage couple has to overcome in U.S
history, Asian and White American interracial marriage can be beneficial by eliminating racism,
prejudice and stereotype in America.
Interracial marriage between Asians and White Americans can help eliminate racism in
the United States. Interracial marriage slowly occurred as immigrants from other countries
migrate into the United States. World War 2 also contributed towards interracial marriage as
soldiers are usually placed around the world in different countries, where they end up marrying
women with a different racial background. The women that these soldiers married are then
brought back home into the United States. There are also people becoming displaced during the
war and finding themselves into the safe haven of the U.S. Even people emigrated from different
countries into America to pursue a better future, and the lives of different racial people have
made an impact on American culture. On the other hand, interracial marriages have been
opposed by the government and parents in America, showing that racism still occur in America.

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Government passed the Racial Integrity Act that made interracial marriage become illegal in the
United States in 1924. During that time white males would be persecuted and sent to jail for one
year if they were to marry an Asian woman. However, it became legal by the law, Loving vs.
Virginia in 1967, (Interracial Marriage). There was much racism between white Americans and
color people. Nowadays, the miscegenation between Asian and White has been growing
exponentially, and the data shows that it is one of all the races that have the highest percentage of
interracial relationship, with 16 percent, (Multiracial Marriages in the United States by Type
2010).
According to Lee, more people marry across racial groups, the social distance between
racial groups is reduced, (1). Interracial marriages could help reduce racism by allowing people
to get to know each other more. People, who end up marrying another race, will eventually
develop the curiosity to learn about the other persons culture. The parents of the two people that
are in an interracial marriage will accept their love for one another and also when they get to
understand their personalities and not judged them by their skin color, ethnic background, and
looks. When interracial couples have kids, their kids are going to think about interracial
differently. Since their parents are interracial, kids growing up in this type of family environment
will not develop a racist mindset and that being around other people with a different ethnic
background would be welcoming.
There are many family members that are married to other race today, despite of the
discrimination in the past between color people and white Americans. According to Husna Haq,
thirty-five percent said that they already have a family member who is married to someone of a
different race or ethnicity. It means that many families today have accepted that their relatives

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marrying people from another race. The more people who married to other race, the less racism
there is because the conception of the people change to a positive one as time goes by.
Interracial marriages have transformed the United State into a country with vast amount
of diverse culture. The benefit of interracial marriages has allowed individuals from each party to
learn from each others culture. As more interracial marriages occur, people within those
marriages will eventually adjust to the other persons differences. The data shows that 43% of
Americans said more intermarriage has been a change for the better (The Swirl: Study Shows
Interracial Relationships and Biracial Babies May Help America Become a Less Racist Place).
Interracial marriage between Asian and white Americans has introduce America to Asian
culture. There are towns and cities in America that are overpopulated with Asian people and their
culture. For example, Little Tokyo has the most Japanese residing in the area, Korea Town has
the most Koreans living there and Santa Ana is populated with Vietnamese people in that area.
This is a perfect example of how America has become accepting of Asian culture. According to
Marcia Carteret, Asians tend to be highly group-oriented people who place a strong emphasis
on family connection as the major source of identity and protection against the hardships of life.
Asian culture value the family orientation from many years ago. Family is the most important
thing in most Asian culture.
Asians have also successfully introduced their culture event onto America. Chinese New
Year is one of the culture events that are now very popular in America. This makes interracial
marriage become easier because the couples will have a chance to get to know more about each
others background, culture, and lifestyle. Many Asian restaurants were also formed in America
since the introduction of Asian culture. Introducing the culture make people understand more
about Asian and in turn create less racism.

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Interracial marriages can help reduce prejudice and stereotyping of Asians and
Americans. The prejudice of marriage between two races has been there for a long time.
However, prejudice becomes less tense when two people from different race are then married to
each other. According to Elwood Watson the acceptance of interracial marriage these days in
America are teenager between 18-29 year olds is 96 percent and, the parent who are acceptance
between 30-49 year olds is 93 percent. People in America today are living in an environment
where there are lots of people coming from different countries. They go to school with people
who have different background and who are sometimes from a different country. On the other
hand, interracial marriage can teach kids some important values. Their parents with different
racial background can teach them respect amongst other people. When kids respect their parents
differences, races and culture, they will respect other people as well. Furthermore, social media
today not only show white Americans performing on T.V. but they also show Asians and other
race as well. So when children watch other race perform on T.V. they do not have any prejudice
or stereotype about other races. Parents of interracial couples will become more acceptance and
understandable because they love their child and they will love their lovers too. There will be
diversity in the household and people will understand and respect each other as they get used to
it.
When interracial marriages happened there will be some potential for identity crisis of
mixed-race relationship in America. Kids from interracial parent will be confused as to which
ethnic background they should label themselves as. However, the Census has decided in 2000,
no longer forced to choose a single racial identity, Americans are now free to identify
themselves as mestizo, (Rodriguez). American interracial couples can freely decide the ethnicity

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of their children. However, children still find it hard to choose their tradition when living in a
household where both parents are different in race.
White Americans and Asian couples have to overcome their ethnic background
differences, and culture in order to successfully raise their children. Children will have to face an
obstacle between the two parents that each might want to raise them properly. For example:
Eastern want to teach their children to become family oriented, and Western people want to teach
their children to be more independent. The conflict between the two different parents and the
way that they teach their children is still a problem for interracial marriage. It affects American
culture in how the children are thinking.
Interracial marriage makes America become a country with diverse culture and value.
However, there are advantage and disadvantage in interracial marriages. Cultures are being
affected in various ways and children are still struggling to find their proper ethnic identity. On
the other hand, it helps America by giving people a different perspective on different racial
culture and lifestyle. It eventually will help America get rid of racism and prejudice.

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Work Cited
Carteret, Marcia. "Cultural Values of Asian Patients and Families." 2011
Http://www.dimensionsofculture.com/2010/10/cultural-values-of-asian-patients-and-families/.
Web.
Haq, Husna. "Interracial Marriage Is Increasingly Common." Interracial America. Ed. Noah
Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Interracial
Marriage: More than Double the Rate in the 1980s." Christian Science Monitor. 2010. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
"Interracial Marriage." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Lee, Sharon M., and Barry Edmonston. "Interracial Marriage Is an Indicator of Racial
Assimilation in America." Interracial Relationships. Ed. David M. Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven
Press, 2006. At Issue. Rpt. from "New Marriages, New Families: U.S. Racial and Hispanic
Intermarriage." Population Bulletin 60 (2005): 2. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Nov.
2015.
Rodriguez, Gregory. "Interracial Marriages Will Lead to Greater Racial Harmony." Race
Relations. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt.
from "Mongrel America." Atlantic Monthly 291 (2003). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web.
17 Nov. 2015.
"The Swirl: Study Shows Interracial Relationships and Biracial Babies May Help America
Become A Less Racist Place." Http://bossip.com. 21 Nov. 2014. Web.

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Watson, Elwood. "Interracial Couples and Marriage More Accepted Among Americans."
Http://www.huffingtonpost.com/. 27 Jan. 2014. Web.