Welcome Back, Booklovers! Valentine's Day has come and gone but those lovey feelings are still in the air. As people gush over their favorite rom coms and romance books I'm seeing the same question, "Why can't Black women be the love interest?" And I've talked about this before but I'd like to talk about it again because it seems like we can never have this conversation without people getting offended or talking around the issue. I'm not romance expert and my tastes have been leaning more fantasy lately but I love to read romance in between.
How many romance readers can list a highly anticipated Black romance release this year from a traditional publisher?
There's Black romance out there. I have books on my Kindle and my physical shelf that have been published in the past few years. But if you're not already consistently reading these stories you have to go searching.
Everyone is raving over Bridgerton where they cast a biracial leading male as a character who was white in the books and pretend race doesn't exist. And we are supposed to accept that as our representation in historical romance? When you peruse the shelves in bookstores or online you'll be hard pressed to find historical romance with even one Black lead let alone two. The only one consistently releasing those stories is Beverly Jenkins. Why is she the only one? Why is there an unwritten rule that historical romance must be Regency, Tudor, or Victorian about white dukes? Last I checked Black folks fell in love before, during, and after slavery and colonization.
I've been leaning more into fantasy lately but when I want something quick and comforting I love to pick up a contemporary romance. Especially if it's small town romance. Small primarily Black towns exist with close knit neighborhoods. Give me all the festivals, dates at the local bar, non corporate jobs. Where's our couple snuggling by the fire drinking hot cocoa as the snow falls outside? Hanging out at the diner where all the patrons know each other? Those picnic in the park dates? That uptick in Black led Christmas movies in the past few years reminded people we celebrate the holidays too and are worthy of falling in love at Christmas time.
The market is out there for those stories but somehow publishing is always trying to convince us that those stories won't sell. And indie romance is keeping Black romance afloat. Which is great especially for us e-readers. But some people want to be able to just walk into the book store or book aisles and grab something off the shelf.
Give us the Black man with a juice shop who falls for a Black woman who manages the local co-op please!!!
ReplyDeleteI would love that!
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