“My husband is sealskin brown and I am an ash blond of English extraction. We have an adorable daughter, a picture in pale bronze which only emphasizes our contention that black-white marriages produce the best children possible of any union.
“I adore my husband and child and pity the ignorant and prejudiced members of both races—who do anything to hinder the sweet mating of black and white.”
“This note represents an even dozen white girl members of the Vanilla-Chocolate Social Club of lower Harlem—who are all constant readers of the AFRO, and who needless to say are enthusiastic advocates of interracial romance and marriage. This club has three blonde southern girls among its members, who admit the ridiculous and malicious prejudice of certain sections of the South and make every effort in their power to atone for the blindness of some members of their race.
“Our little club we feel is a practical demonstration of the fun and thrill and genuine good of interracial social association and for not a few of our members wedding bells are ahead.
“Interracial love and marriage should be subtly advertised for eventual national harmony—and among young couples at least is noticeably on the up-swing. Any social gathering in or near Harlem will show that.”
“My wife, who is colored, has just showed me the last two copies of the AFRO containing mixed love fiction, and I intend to buy the AFRO as long as you use that type of story.
“The country needs more interracial love and marriage for the best interests of all concerned. The happiness of the couples involved and the true brotherhood of man in general.”
“I am very anxious to get my vote in and counted on the ‘yes’ side of the editorial policy dealing with black-and-white love and sex stories.
“The extent of such affairs in real life is much greater than the average man or woman realizes—and I cannot for one instant think why stories and articles dealing with this situation should not be published. While these mixed matches often result in marriage, many thousands of mutually agreeable love episodes are carried on “behind the scenes,” and deserve to be brought to the attention of any modern and up-to-date section of your reading public. Perhaps a few ‘bandanna’ sundowners may object, but I am sure a large portion of your younger and more modern subscribers will enjoy at least one such story or article each week.
“Personally, I have enjoyed being the principal and confidant, on many more than one occasion, in such matters and have enjoyed the society of some very lovely and gracious ladies.”
“I have been married for five years to one of the finest gentlemen that ever lived, even though you would classify him as colored. We live in a very fine neighborhood. I think it is real nonsense to think one race is better than another. God made all of one blood.”
The Afro-American said as regards the letters it had received, “Readers who have written in overwhelmingly requesting interracial as well as intraracial love stories, based their opinion on what is going on around them.
“Last week in Philadelphia, a white U. S. marine officer chose a brown mate. This week two white women in Washington tell how they happened to choose colored husbands.
“If we could put all the bigots, ignoramuses and damphools on the race question in a garbage can with a tight cover for a few years, intermarriage of races would be about as uneventful as mating between a white hen and a black rooster, a white bull and a black cow.
“After all there are only two parties to a marriage and when it’s unanimous, with them, who else has anything to do with it?”
The Amsterdam News of New York, a Negro weekly, once told of the Penguin Club, an organization formed by mixed couples in New York, to combat ostracism by both whites and Negroes. As a result of this news article, it reported: “Following the publication of a recent story in The Amsterdam News, telling of the announced purpose of the organization of intermarried couples, the club has been swamped with applications for membership, officials revealed yesterday. So great was the press of applications, that the officers were unable to decide the question at the last business meeting.
“As a result, the Penguin Club has called a special meeting for next month. All persons who sent applications to the club at 56 East 112th Street will be invited to the April meeting where their request for membership will be acted upon. New applications are being received there.
“In forming the club, members pointed out that they were going to make an attempt to provide the social life for themselves and their children with both races. Negro and white, usually deny persons who cross racial lines to seek their life mates.”
The Afro-American which also reported the story about the Penguin Club carried a letter about it from two white girls of which the following are excerpts: “We are two real ‘cornsilk’—and, to be frank, ‘cornfed’—blondes, recently arrived in New York City, both single and both very much in favor of the principles and aims of the club.
“However, we find that, because since, we are not eligible to become affiliated, and hence would like to suggest that the club organize an auxiliary for single persons of both races who desire to associate. This will, we are sure, augment the club greatly in the future by marrying.
“As Mr. Cabot of the club is quoted as saying, regarding the thousands of men and women of both races who, if given their choice would marry their opposite in color, we are two of the latter and hope our suggestion may find favor with the club officials.
WHO IS A NEGRO? EUROPEAN AND ISLAMIC TYPES
X. Upper row: Two Negroid Jews of Berlin (Guenther). Negroid Bedouin (Guenther). Centre: Turkish mulatto (Guenther). George A. P. Bridgetower, celebrated pianist, and accompanist of Beethoven, who was born in Poland. Polish mulatto Jew (Fishberg). Lower row: Egyptian mulatto (Guenther). The Emir Saud of Arabia. John IV, King of Portugal (Bibliotheque Nationale).
“Please keep up this good work, which will eventually ameliorate the sad and unnecessary barriers which now exist between colored and white girls and boys who otherwise would freely carry out Nature’s true law—‘opposites attract’ by meeting and marrying.”
The Chicago Defender, Negro weekly, attacking a Superior Court judge for his stand on intermarriage: “We do not oppose intermarriage; we believe intermarriage is far preferable to the sort of intermixing as is done in the South. We believe, also, that the blood which white people have poured into our veins for 300 years has a definite right to go back into the veins of those who started it, if it’ chooses that direction.
“We have no patience with white men, North or South, who go about preaching their views under the cloak of what ‘better class of Negroes think.’ We are articulate, and quite capable of speaking for ourselves about what we think. Judge Carpenter would be a better judge if he confined his efforts to learning the laws and discussing them as they pertain to his duties. Had he been wanted as a law-maker he would have been sent to that position instead of the one he holds. But finally whether we do or do not want intermarriage is beside the question. We want exactly what is every man’s and every woman’s right—the right to select who we shall marry, and love knows no color, creed, or religion.”3