Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saint Running-Back, Graces Cover of Essence Magazine, Irks Some Black Women

Reggie Bush graces cover of February issue of Essence Magazine. Irks some black women, including Philadelphia Daily News Columnist Jenice Armstrong because he is in a relationship with a white woman, Kim Kardashian.

New Orleans Saint running back Reggie Bush will be on the cover of Essence Magazine's February issue and that has rankled some readers. Why? Well, a high-profiled black athlete is in a relationship with a white woman -- Kim Kardashian -- and many feel that he does not embody what Essence Magazine is all about. According to Philadelphia Daily News columnist Jenice Armstrong, there is a big problem with the picture because that particular issue was "supposed to be all about black men, love and relationships." She also stated that Kim Kardashian's claim to fame, besides her reality-TV show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is a pornographic sex tape with former boyfriend Ray J, who is the brother of singer Brandy. Personally, I could care less if Reggie Bush is in a relationship with a white woman, let alone Kim Kardashian, who has no talent,  no real job and couldn't hold a conversation about current affairs with anyone. Is this the best Jenice Armstrong could do? Aren't there more important things to focus on than Reggie Bush being on the cover of an issue of Essence Magazine?

The reality is that interracial relationships have unnerved some segments of our society for years and this will not end with this issue of the magazine. She claims that Bush, who looks smoking-hot with his wide-open shirt exposing his impeccable abs, probably thought he was increasing his brand and possibly name recognition among black women, who are the primary target market of Esssence Magazine, but it backfired. That's how Ms. Armstrong sees it at least. Really? Let's be bluntly honest, Reggie Bush is certainly not the first black man to date a white woman and he certainly won't be the last. I scarcely think Bush's decision to pose has hurt or improved his brand. I guess the real question for me is what brand?

I wonder how many black women wrote to Ms. Armstrong in support of her position. We are all aware of the fact that there is an age-old debate in the black community that frowns upon the relationships of high-profile black men and their preference for dating or marrying white or light-skinned women. Sydney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Ahmad Rashad, Bryant Gumbel, Taye Diggs, Charles Barkley, Seal, Ice-T and the most famous one, Tiger Woods, come to mind. I have been married to a black man for over 14 years and prior to my relationship with him,which started two years before we wed, I dated outside my race. That wasn't because I felt another race was better. I just clicked with this person because we had a lot in common. When my husband came along, I saw him as a man and not as a black man. So, in my view, it's not all about race. It's about what each person brings to the relationship and what they put into said relationship.

Instead of focusing on Reggie Bush dating Kim Kardashian, why not look at the abysmal marriage rates of single blacks in this country. A recent study, aired on ABC's Nightline show in December, found that 42% of black women have never been married. That is double the number of white women who have never married. Lost in that revelation was the fact that a 2000 Census found that 41% of black men have never been married. Still one has to look at the reasons why each group's percentages are so high. For what it is worth, eligible black men,who are not incarcerated, unemployed or high school dropouts have more choices and will date outside their race, while black women generally do not. Maybe it's time for sisters to start looking beyond the color of their skin and just look for love, which in its true sense, knows no color. Halle Berry and Alfre Woodard are two black women who are in relationships with white men and they seem to be rather happy. Come on Ms. Armstrong, start a debate about something that really matters in the black community, how we can uplift our race instead of tearing it down.

I found some of the comments left in response to Ms. Armstrong's column interesting. Here's a sampling:

beansdale1
when does the magazine lifting up white woman come out? what an outrage there would be if white people were coming out saying they are angry that white people are not dating their own kind. essence mag is racist by definition.

XmarksTheSpot
So let me get this straight. If the Clarence Thomas' & Seals were with black women that would make black women more desirable to high profile black men or black men period? Hmmm, The President of The United States of America is married to a black woman. Doesn't get more high-profile than that. Men don't want insecure women. A woman needs to be strong and a lot of black women seem to mistake that strength with attitude. Not all, so don't go jumping down my throat wit ya attitude. Honestly, this is racism. Seriously it is. Why should who Reggie Bush, Seal, Clarence Thomas or whatever brother that decides to date or marry a woman of another color than them have any kind of effect on women who have no shot in the world with these rich dudes anyway? Don't you think that insecurity would push more brothers away? Maybe, right? Sisters need to worry about their own life and not some rich athletes dating preference because it has absolutely nothing to do with them. Nobody is stressing them to marry within their race. Is it that high-profile brothers marry outside the black race or brothers period that offends them? If it's the high-profile brothers and not brothers period then in essence (no pun intended) you're painting yourself as a gold-digger. Regular brothers don't like gold-diggers let alone high-profile ones. Please. If Reggie Bush was dating Regina King the cover would be all good & tasteful. But since he's with an Armanian woman it's a slap in the face. Another classic example as crazy being acceptable & down-right commendable. That's why y'all don't get married. My mom & my sister are married and many sisters are. But you know what I mean Ms. 42% instead of Mrs. 22%.

Shimmy
People who admire Reggie Bush should be bent out of shape because Kim Kardashian is an idiot, not merely white.

emanuelmntgmry
I can’t presume to speak for the Reggie Bush's of the world, but IMO, opinions like the ones in this article do a disservice to all of us. Just because they date or marry outside of their own race, they're not good representations of "Black love". They're still black men, right?? And they’re in serious, committed relationships, right? And frankly, if white women were voicing opinions like this, we would be screaming “racism” from every message board on the internet. To those complaining ladies: instead of blaming “ACBB” – and for the record, that’s a sad and embarrassing acronym to have in 2010 - for your problems with “black love”, why don’t you start looking at and taking responsibility for the criteria you use for choose mates (read: stop picking the same losers over and over again), look at whether we’re raising our young men to become “marrying men” and open your mind to consider that dark skin is not going to guarantee you a good mate. Sorry angry ladies, but this isn’t Reggie Bush’s issue- it’s yours.

JohnKing
To quote Gladys Knight "Our misunderstandings are too well understood." We are not a monolithic people, and we must be accountable to our contradictions. For years (years) Essence along with Ebony have profiled narratives about women of African descent seeking white men due to the so-called African male shortage. They have had Halle Beery spread from cover to cover, celebrating the fact that she not only settled on a White male to father her offspring, but a younger white male at that. Sisters, you can't have it both ways, either we're all going to accept each others selection in the affairs of the heart and be adult about it, or leave the entire issue alone. It is as if certain African women expect to have the choice to choose whomever they like to be with based on the so-called shortage, but don't want men of African descent to have the same option. grow up.