Negro-White Marriage in the United States

A major reason for the sociological importance of Negro-white intermarriage is the possibility of a link between the low status of Negroes in the United States and the infrequency of such intermarriage. This paper analyzes trends in Negro-white marriage in the four states-California, Hawaii, Michigan, and Nebraska-which have recent data. For these states an upward trend in Negro-white marriage is shown which cannot be accounted for merely on the basis of changing racial composition. Negro-white intermarriage rates are relatively high in those areas where residential segregation by race is low and where there are minimal status differences between the white and Negro population.