Sharing your Views: A Dialogue about Black Love with Omega Psi Phi

By Nicole Vance

Love is a feeling of affection that can be shown in different ways.  It varies in meaning for everyone, and black love is no exception.

Epsilon Sigma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., hosted an open dialogue Feb. 19 called “Brown Sugar: The Questions of Black Love.”

The Ques posed a series of questions about issues and views regarding black love.  One of the questions was: “What is the biggest issue regarding black love?”  Attendees gave a variety of responses.  While the women claimed that trust was the biggest issue, the men argued that “there is too much talking, and not enough talking.”  The men added that women always want the relationships they see on social media.

Then the Ques took the discussion deeper.  They asked about the similarities and differences people find in their parents’ relationships compared to their own.

Some attendees said they measured their view of what black love should look like based on their parents’ and grandparents’ love.  Others said that their parents’ relationships negatively affected them and influenced the way they partake in relationships.

Then, the big question was asked: “Can you love someone and still cheat on them?”  The entire audience began to murmur and suddenly everyone was speaking over each other.  When the voices died down, a man raised his hand and stated, “Black men don’t cheat.”

The women rolled their eyes and sucked their teeth in response while the men began to clap.  One woman argued that, “If you love someone, you shouldn’t cheat on them…If you cheat on them, that means that you didn’t love them in the first place.”  But the back and forth continued.

One statement that everyone seemed to agree on was made by Dr. Shirelle Briscoe, the Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Studies at Bowie State University.  “Society has told us stories about our black men,” she said.  “But we have to get to know our black men and rewrite the narrative of black men.”