Lately, on social media, I noticed that many interracial couples are tying the knot. And it makes me happy to see that people can put all of their issues aside and love who they want. In fact, we can't possibly forget about the Loving v. Virginia court case in 1967. For those who don't know, this was a controversial Supreme Court case that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage in the U.S.

This court case was considered as a landmark civil rights decision which allows anyone to marry who they want. However, even 50 years later, I noticed that people still have an issue when it comes to not sticking to dating your own race. Many people in my own community, for example, the black community, still have concerns when it comes to dating someone of a different race.

I have been following some black social media blogs for a while and every time an interracial couple is posted whether a man or woman, people still seem to have an issue saying that the black person is a "sell-out" or how they are brainwashed and let the community down. I honestly disagree with those beliefs because that doesn't make anyone less "black."

Dating within your race doesn't mean anything and neither does outside. It's about who you love in my opinion. Especially with white and black, I understand what happened in the past and we should NEVER forget about it. But that doesn't give you the right to ridicule others for making choices different from everyone else.

Just because a black man chooses to date/marry a white woman doesn't mean that he hates black women. In fact, I asked some of my friends what their type or preference was and they told me that they just naturally gravitate towards their own race because they can relate to them more. They don't have an issue with other races but that is simply their preference. Some even said they liked other races (not because they didn't like their own).

So if a black man chooses to date white women, that can be their preference and it isn't always because they don't like their own race. It could also be that he just happened to fall in love with that person. What people get mixed up is the difference between preference and just plain racist.

There are men who say they don't date black women because of XYZ and that's wrong because you're linking them into a certain category. But the real issue is that people of their own race feel that they must stick together and you're not "woke" if you choose to be with another race. Many argued why musician Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, claims to be pro-black and woke but is dating someone who is white.

According to a common narrative, these stars can't be pro-black while choosing another race because it shows an indication of self-hate or is an oxymoron. But then again, why does this matter exactly? If we love ourselves so much but marrying someone non-black is self-hate? Yes, I have heard people say that they date lighter races so they can have mixed babies which are completely messed up because it shouldn't matter what your child will look like. And I'm also here to tell you all that not everyone has that mentality.

And another thing that bothers me regarding race and dating on social media is that I noticed that many of the black men commenting about a black woman who is dark skinned said awful things and stated how they don't like black women and will choose a white woman over her. But when the black woman decides to date outside of black men, or someone who finally appreciates her beauty, they take to social media and express their butt-hurt hypocritical feelings about how the black women should be with a "black king."

Let's talk about when well-renowned tennis player Serena Williams married Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit. When Williams married Ohanian, Twitter and Instagram went in an uproar because they felt that Williams was being a sell-out, but I don't see an issue with this. In fact, maybe that is her preference, just like how some black men say that. The issue is that we need to stop worrying about who other people date because why does it matter?

So please stop pushing your preferences on other people. Especially people in my own community. It's like forcing your religious beliefs on someone else's and telling them it's wrong.

Dating out of your race doesn't mean that you hate yourself and you aren't for black people. You just have more of an open mind and you're attracted to someone that feels the same way you do. That's all. Once again, I'm not saying this for all, but I'm addressing the people who have an issue with it. So yes, in my opinion, it's okay to date/marry outside your race!