Christina Simon: Always Dating Outside My Race

When you’re mixed-race, aren’t you always/kinda/sorta dating outside your race unless you date a mixed-race person with the same exact background?

There was a mixed-race guy I knew in college, but we never dated. He liked white girls. I’m half white, half black. The black guys I went out with thought of me as black. Mostly. Sometimes they accused me of being too “white.” 

Now I'm married to a white guy. The coolest thing? He had a mixed-race girlfriend in college (African American and white). I LOVE that!

Christina Simon and her husband of 12 years, posing
with their son and daughter.

The only problem is that my husband became estranged from his parents when he dated his college girlfriend. She went to Harvard too, but that wasn't good enough for them. They wrote him a letter calling her the “N” word.  Then, they cut him off financially and took him out of their will. He didn't let that stop him and went on to make his own money in private equity.

My husband and I have been together 15 years, married almost 12 years. I doubt I’ll ever meet his family, but they’d hate me anyways so why even go there? Besides, I’d never subject my kids to their bigotry. 

So in the end, I married outside my race. And it’s crazy cool because I’m so f*cking in love with him.

Christina Simon is the co-author of “Beyond The Brochure: An Insider’s Guide To Private Elementary Schools In Los Angeles.” She also writes the blog, www.beyondthebrochure.blogspot.com about applying to private elementary schools in Los Angeles and the ups and downs as life as a private school mom. Christina is a former vice president at Fleishman-Hillard, a global public relations firm. She has a 7-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. Christina lives in Los Angeles with her husband and kids. She has a B.A. from UC Berkeley and an M.A. from UCLA. Christina has written recent guest blog pieces for Mamapedia, BlogHer Syndication,The Mother Company, The Well Mom, Reading Kingdom, Girls Lunch Out, Front Page of Divine Caroline, The Twin Coach, A Child Grows In Brooklyn, ecomom, Power of Moms, The Culture Mom, Diary Of A Mixed (Up) Kid, Sane Moms and Macaroni Kids.