The Biggest Challenge In My Interracial Relationship And How I’m Navigating It.
I’ve written a few pieces on my relationship — how I’ve untied myself from the prejudice woven deeply into the fabric of my Punjabi culture, how his past has impacted my mental health, and how I’ve grown to love a man that is incredibly unexpected in the story of my life.
Before I begin, I understand that my partner’s experiences are not true for every person who grows up in a ghetto and who identifies as “black.” I write from my perspective, after countless conversations with my partner. My observations, my experiences, my boyfriend’s insights, and my own understanding are informing my words — if they offend you, I am open to hearing why. But this is my truth, specific to my own situation.
After ending my relationship with my partner at the start of this summer, going to therapy, and keeping my heart open to reconciliation, I am now better equipped to navigate the challenges that I for so long found overwhelming in my relationship with him.
We have only reconciled in the last few weeks, and with the aid of my therapist, I feel like I’m truly seeing and meeting my boyfriend for the first time.
Together, my partner and I have realized that his upbringing and the values and beliefs he has literally survived by (values and beliefs that…
