Black Romance Readers Enjoy Cute and Cozy Romance Too

 

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.

Statistically Black women are more likely to date/marry Black men. So why don't we see more Black romance on the shelves? Why are people constantly trying to change what Black love means?  A white romance written by a Black author is not Black romance. A romance where only the woman is Black but her love interest is not is also not Black romance.

Someone asked me the other day if sometimes these romance stories set unrealistic expectations. Sure it's escapism and we all want that fantasy guy who is strong and sensitive while catering to our needs. But there's also been cases where the line is crossed into glorifying or fetishizing. Ever notice how many interracial romances go out of their way to really avoid mentioning race related issues despite being set in the real world? The leading heroine could be dealing with struggles related to being a Black woman and trying to establish herself however that aspect is missing. I've even seen books where the rival is a "Karen" or the Black ex boyfriend was a no good dog but still the acknowledgement of the couple being two different races is completely avoided.

Black people are not a monolith though there are certain shared experiences across the diaspora. There's a particular mold we often get put into. Career wise it's very popular to have Black woman working corporate jobs. And trust there is something wonderful about a Black woman who can handle her own in the boardroom. But that's not all we can do. Just like every Black male doesn't have to be a business man and former athlete. We can be the booksellers, caterers, coffee shop owners, inn keepers, crafters and photographers. And those stories are out there but they're sometimes buried or called a different name.

It's hard for me to imagine but some Black people have never seen positive representations of Black love in their every day lives. And some people have it in their head that Black love is synonymous with struggle and oppression. And that's another reason why portraying Black romance is so important.  Black people fall in love like everyone else and we have a variety of love stories waiting to be explored.  After years of being devalued and dehumanized because of our race these images matter. And it's important to have our representation unfiltered through the white gaze.