Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage

Stewart (Three Eyes for the Journey), a professor of religion and African American studies at Emory University, examines the “structural forces” that have led to disproportionately low marriage and high divorce rates among heterosexual African Americans in this thought-provoking account. She characterizes “Black women’s lack of options for suitable love and partnership with Black men” as “America’s most hidden civil rights issue,” and traces the root causes back to slave laws that deprived African American women of the right to control their romantic and reproductive lives. After the Civil War, Stewart writes, federal and state authorities established parameters for “legitimate” marriage that didn’t necessarily reflect Black experiences or desires, and racially motivated violence undermined marital and family stability. Stewart also reveals how allegations of “welfare fraud” have been used to shape Black women’s behavior to a white patriarchal model, notes the devastating effects of racial bias in the justice system, and critiques self-help solutions to Black women’s romantic challenges offered by TV shows like Being Mary Jane. Though she writes in an academic register, Stewart folds in intriguing personal reflections and pop culture analysis. The result is a well-documented and persuasive case that supporting Black love and marriage is a key step in unwinding racial inequality in America. (Oct.)