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FEATURES
Guess who’s coming to the House?
In the AUC, opinions
on interracial dating
run the gamut
By Sterling Taylor
Features Editor
The stares were
something that John Manson
and his girlfriend soon got
used to. Fortunately, the
hostility never went beyond
the awkward glances.
"Yeah, everybody's
gonna stare at you," Manson
says matter-of-factly.
Manson, a junior music
major at Morehouse College,
was sharing episodes from his
relationship with a young
white woman.
The Nashville, Tenn.,
native says he went to a
predominantly white high
school where there weren't
many Black women. He
maintains, however, that he
didn't date his girlfriend
solely because of her color.
"Race was not a factor,"
Manson says. "A lot of things
appealed to me."
Interracial dating among
college-age students is on the
rise nationwide. And while it
is still rare to see a mixed
couple in the AUC, it is
unfortunately common for
students to question why, with
the high concentration of
young, single African
Americans on the center
campuses, their fellow
classmates would "venture
over to the other side?"
AUC students are
strongly divided in their
opinions when it comes to
dating someone of another
race. Some express vehement
opposition; others think it
should matter little.
"If two people are in love,
there's nothing wrong with
it," says Herbert Hayden, a
freshman psychology major at
Morehouse, who is currently
working on a research project
on this topic for his
psychology class.
Likewise, Morehouse
sophomore Kasi David is
bewildered that interracial
dating is even an issue.
"It's not really a big deal,"
says David, a chemistry and
mathematics major from
Trinidad. "The culture back
home is more cosmopolitan
while America's culture is
more or less polarized."
But for Carl Washington, a
junior industrial engineering
major at Morehouse, it's not
quite that cut and dry.
"I got mixed emotions,"
Washington says. "I think it's
cool and all, but to be honest,
if my daughter came home
with a white dude, it'd make
me kinda uneasy."
For every grudging
"There's no place for them
[interracial couples] in
society," Johnson says.
Sheila Brown, too, is
opposed to interracial couples
but her rationale is different.
"I am against it because
most men are trying to prove
they are better because they
have a white woman. They
don't want a strong Black
sister," says Brown, a junior
education major at CAU.
So, given all the hassle that
"I've gone out with an
equal number of Black and
white girls. Sometimes as far
as personality is concerned
[white girls] are a little better,"
says a sophomore marketing
major at Morehouse, who
would only speak on
condition of anonymity.
"They're more caring and
understanding. Black women
at Spelman who have money
have more white tendencies.
It all depends on their
background."
The debate rages on, with
a host of reasoning and
counter-reasoning muddling
what should be an
insignificant issue in this age
of multiethnicism.
Meanwhile, Manson
broke up with his girlfriend of
three years, but he says it had
nothing to do with their
cultural differences.
"I think [my parents]
were relieved when we broke
up," Manson says. "They
didn't want me to marry her.
Her parents were much more
accepting, which was
surprising."
Kenisha Bethea of Clark
Atlanta and Iyabo Kwayama of
Spelman College also contributed
to this article.
And while it is still rare to see a mixed couple in the AUC,
it is unfortunately common for students to question
why their fellow classmates would “venture over to the other side?”
acceptance, there is a
vociferous dissent from the
other camp.
"I feel that dating white
people is spiritual genocide,"
says Monica Dennis, a senior
English major at Clark Atlanta
University. "Black people by
nature are loving, warm, and
caring, [while] white people by
nature are deviant, diabolical,
murdering thieves."
Equally passionate about
his opposition is Julius
Johnson, a sophomore
psychology major at
Morehouse.
a mixed couple has to go
through, why do so many
choose to become involved?
"True love is color-blind,"
says Ryan Pack, a freshman
engineering major at Spelman
College.
Morehouse sophomore
Ben Shirley feels the same way,
although he expressed it in a
much cruder fashion.
"A#s is a#s. It doesn't
matter what color it is," says
Shirley, a mathematics major.
On the flip side of the coin
are those who prefer dating
outside their race.
By Damon Warren
Contributing Writer
Mike Hatcher is the owner
of three businesses — and he's
not even 25 years old.
Since graduation from
Morehouse College last May,
Hatcher has been busy with
Mass Appeal — a fully
operational barbershop and
beauty salon on Lee Street.
"I felt that brothers
shouldn't have to wait four
hours or sit in the stall of a
bathroom just to get a cut,"
said Hatcher, of his decision to
set up shop in the area.
Mass Appeal is the latest
brainchild of this former
physical education major. He
also runs Big Boy Security,
which provides crowd control
at events, and Big Boy
Entertainment.
As a young student at
Morehouse, Hatcher became
disillusioned with the idea of
going to school for four years
just to work for someone else
the rest of his life.
"I didn't want to work
until I was fifty and then get
laid-off," he said.
Using the capital from a
shuttle service he ran around
campus, Hatcher started Big
Boy Security his sophomore
year.
By providing security for
Atlanta's hottest clubs and
celebrities, he built a name for
himself and his
business. Today,
Big Boy boasts
such trendy spots
as Club ESSO,
Shark Bar, and
Chili Pepper
among its clients.
"Big Boy was
definitely a
learning
experience," said
Hatcher. He credits
it with giving him
his first hands-on
experience in the
business world.
Within two
years, the small security
company he started led to Big
Boy Entertainment. To date,
the company has hosted
parties all across the southeast.
Through it all, Hatcher
attended school full-time and
started on the football team.
"God blessed me with
the desire, ability, and drive
for everything I've done" he
said.
Hatcher's plans for the
future include real estate
investments and owning a
mortgage company.
"I'd [also] like to teach a
class in the AUC about
entrepreneurship" he said.
"My goals are to be able to
provide for my family, and to
continue to give back to the
community."
Hatcher hopes other
AUC students will follow in
his footsteps, and start their
own businesses.
"Try to learn everything
you can, be patient, but stay
aggressive," he said.
In the meantime, Hatcher
said he's always looking to
hire people from the AUC for
promotions, security,
entertainment for his
companies.
Tash Moseley/STAFF
Mass Appeal, the new barbershop on
Lee Street, is Mike Hatcher's third
venture since starting college. The
Morehouse grad plans to someday run
his own mortgage company.
