A Big Mixed Race Family

THERE ARE NOW so many people in mixed-race relationships (or interracial relationships if you're American) in the UK that one in ten children are part of a mixed race family, and some ethnic groups (Afro-Caribbeans) are expected to disappear.

Half of British men with Caribbean heritage are in a relationship with someone of another race. The figure is less for black African men, with one in five in a relationship with someone of another race.

Initially, this might sound like a good thing, but is there a downside? Certainly, the disappearance of the long established Afro-Caribbean community isn't welcome news. And the Equality and Human Rights Commission had this warning: "We need to be alert to tensions within communities that may be exacerbated by economic downturn, and to remain vigilant against discrimination and divisiveness - particularly across boundaries of faith..."

As someone who's only ever been in mixed-race relationships since the age of seventeen, stories like these really resonate - and to my ears, it's a good news story. Mixed race couplings shouldn't be unusual, or raise eyebrows, but they continue to provoke heated debate on all sides, with phrase like selling out and fetish still flung about.

The figures also prove something I've always suspected; that Afro-Caribbean men are more open minded about relationships with people outside their race, as opposed to African men, who are not...

Previously: The Mixed Race Superrace