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Marina Franklin, Issa Rae, Jacque Reid

Source: Getty / Getty

Finally, a panel about Black women that actually features smart Black women, and not men dictating women’s experiences. Issa Rae, Jacque Reid, comedienne Marina Franklin and Dr. Christina Greer of Fordham University joined Larry Willmore for a panel discussion about relationships and the unique challenges Black women may face while dating.

Issa Rae started the discussion with stats about Black women and Asian men being the least chosen on dating sites. From her personal experience, she felt that the more educated a Black woman is, the harder it is for her to find a good man. Her theory was that when Black men are more educated they tend to be aware of how much more of a catch they are, and aren’t so easily tied down, which then discourages Black women from being optimistic about Black love.

Jacque Reid thinks the numbers on dating sites are skewed, because they don’t attract as many Black people as folks think, but she is an advocate for finding love wherever you can as long as the man is a good man.

Comedienne Marina Franklin often jokes about how she dates White men, and is currently dating a younger White man, but isn’t against dating Black men contrary to what people seem to believe based on her standups. Meanwhile Christina Greer, an assistant professor at Fordham University, is married to a well-educated Black man. Her stance is that good Black men aren’t unicorns and that everyone comes with “some assembly required.”

I’m with Christina on that, but watch the clip first:

Like I said, I’m with Christina. Good Black men aren’t unicorns. I’m married to a good, educated Black man, and he didn’t fall out of the sky. However, all of the points in this can be used for dating success because dating is actually exhausting. Basically, be open when it comes to dating. Have standards that are realistic, but not impossible. Be patient, be proactive, be safe, and have fun until you finally meet Mr. Right.

The grand return of the Melanin Awards amplifies and honors the finest Black-owned beauty brands with honest reviews, and discusses the evolution of beauty in Hip-Hop culture.