Interracial marriages, past and present

According to the latest census numbers, the number of interracial marriages is up 20 percent since the year 2000, to about 4.5 million. That means that eight percent of all marriages in the U.S. are now between people of different races.

Debra Dickerson is a cultural commentator whose essays on race and society have appeared in Mother Jones, Slate, Salon, and many other publications, including her own blog. Debra is black, and until recently, was married to a white man. We also talk with Omelia and Alvin Garner. Omelia, who’s black, and Alvin, who’s white, were the first black-white interracial couple to be legally married in Orange County, North Carolina 42 years ago.