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An Empress wrote us on our facebook page asking: “Why do most rich Black men refuse to date or marry Black women? Even if they were with Black women before they got rich, as soon as they get rich, they dump Black women for women of other races.”

My Response was the following:

The first thing I thought about before answering the young Empress, was to give an answer that was truly and honestly how I feel about the subject, but at the same time reassure her that the real brothers will never leave the sisters behind. Not only will the real brothers not leave the sisters behind, but we will kill and or die for our sisters. So right up front, I want to say that according to the United States census, only about ten percent of Married Black Men were married to other than Black women. Now to some sisters, ten percent may be too much, but to me it means ninety percent of married brothers stick with the sisters. That is an overwhelming majority.

So I guess the question is; why ten percent of brothers neglect the sisters for women of other races? I always say, only JAH can judge me, so my aim is not to cast judgment on anyone. I do, however, think that there are wrong and right reasons for interracial marriages or romantic relationships. If two people admire each other, fall in love and want to share their life with each other, then under no circumstances should someone tell them that they dont belong together because of their different ethnicity. On the other hand, if a brother is brainwashed into believing that a sister is not as beautiful as a woman of another race or if a woman from another race just want a Black man because she feels he is wicked in the bed, then I think those are the wrong reasons.

As for the young Empress saying that on many occasions she saw a Rasta man with a White woman, let me say, I have talked to many Rasta Men who say they would rather date a White Rasta Woman than a Baldhead Black Woman. We also have to bear in mind that there are many rent a dread out there posing as Rastafarians. So every time you see a dread with a woman of another race, dont ever just assume that there goes another Rasta man turning his back on sisters. Furthermore, real Rastafarians burn dreadie. What cannot be discounted either, is the fact that there are many Whites who are of the Rastafarian Faith. A few years back we opened a show in Germany for Burning Spear and I am not exaggerating when I say, I saw more Rastafarians there than I see at shows in Jamaica. So with a lot of white Rastafarians and the fact the Twelve Tribe and Nyabinghi are pretty liberal and inclusive (Bobo Shanti are more strict on what racial lines can be crossed) it should not be surprising to see interracial Rastafarian couples.

Now the behavior by brothers that I cant tolerate is when a brother treats a sister like he treats his car. You know the brother that was driving the Honda Accord and then he graduate medical school, or law School or Maybe he signed a sports contract or a record deal, so he trade the Honda Accord for a top of the line Mercedes Benz? But he wont stop at the Benz, but he also trade in his Empress for a woman of another race. I know some people will say the media is to be blamed for such behavior, but how can we blame the media and the system, when will we take responsibility for our actions?

Sisters also have to look at themselves and see if there is anything they are doing to push the brothers away. There are some sisters who tend to paint brothers with the stereotypical broad brush. A sister might get mistreated by a couple of brothers and based on that she convinces herself that all brothers are dogs. I also believe more sisters need to embrace their African roots. You cant keep trying to look like other races and then get angry when a brother dates another race. Where are the dreads my queens? Where are the cornbraids? Where are the plaits? Where are the Afros? Come back to your roots and a lot of the ten percent that turned their backs will come back to you.

Let me wrap this up by saying, like anything else in society, we cannot just use a broad brush to paint interracial intimate relationships. There are good and bad reasons for interracial relationships, and when the reason is LOVE then there is nothing bad about it. I look forward to hearing what men, women, Blacks, Whites and everyone else feel about this subject.

For the Young Empress who sent the message, I dedicate to you the words of Bookman the Stepping Razor:

She is an African Queen
Every Black mans dream
Daughter of the Nile
Ethiopian Child
With grace and style
Disrespect the Black Queen and I make your skin burn and boil