On a perfect day, I know that I can count on you.
What can I say...I'm a romantic. Shocking isn’t it. This past weekend, I was sitting out on my balcony when I started thinking about those wonderful, soul, love songs that captured the essence of black love. I loaded a couple of those songs on my computer and I started listening to them while the rain was falling. I had Jeffrey Osborne, Teddy Pendergrass, the Isley Brothers, Patti Labelle, and Marvin Gaye, etc. I also had this ballad by New Edition about a relationship presently going well, but the man is asking the woman if he can count on her to remain by his side should things ever become stormy.
Well guess what, the storm is here. The plight of single black women has received widespread attention in recent years. In Newsweek, Essence, and Ebony one can find countless articles regarding this issue. Even The Washington Post used its “Outlook” section with the headline “Marriage is for White People.” In fact when you bring up 
discussions or documentaries about modern day African American culture, rest assured the topic of being single will be present. Personally, these storms rain depressing news articles, reports, and statistics.
Black Love for the most part is not dead. I believe this to be true because thinking of it any other way means that I’ve given up. I'm going to be completely honest with you. Several women of color in my dating lifetime have done me wrong. While I won't call out any names, I believe life is too short to have the “Bitter Black Man Syndrome.” Grant it I did my fair share, but hey…why bring up old business. For some reason bad relationships can leave people seething, pessimistic, and sour on love. Well, not me. I love black women and relationships like red kool-aid.
Black love is not dead. It’s just on vacation. It’s on a cruise somewhere in the Caribbean or maybe on an impromptu trip to
Black love is not dead. It’s at home. It’s having house parties in Brooklyn, picnics in
Sunny days, everybody loves them.
I’m reminded of my younger years when I used to watch the Cosby Show. The relationship between Clair and Cliff seemed so genuine in nature. They slept; fought and made up with each other in such a way that you knew fit them together.
As I got older I found myself enjoying the Cosby Show’s spin-off, A Different World. Although the show had many couples who emulated Black Love, none could compare to the chemistry of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. The two knew each other since the show’s beginning but never truly became the romantic stuff of legend until the third season when they both played a game of cat and mouse. Ah….the chase. We live so much in a microwave society that we really don’t have time for the chase anymore. And who could forget the moment when Dwayne declared his love for Whitney (and she as well) on her wedding day.
I remember it like it was yesterday. The date was Thursday, May 14, 1992, and the world witnessed a memorable day in television history. Dwayne Wayne shows up in the middle of the wedding ceremony of Byron and Whitley, and Ron tries to convince him to break up the wedding. During her wedding vows, Whitley freezes up as she sees Dwayne's face everywhere. When she refuses to respond for over a minute, Dwayne realizes that she is far from certain about marrying Byron. He suddenly jumps up and charges down the aisle, pleading with her to marry him. Whitley accepts Dwayne's proposal and runs into his arms. Byron and his family are disgusted, but leave peacefully. The minister marries Dwayne and Whitley. Whitley mom faints. Dwayne carries Whitley down the aisle, with their ecstatic friends bounding after them. And the world was peace. Priceless!
I was getting a bit worried that our Dewayne and Whitley moments were being replaced with Flavor of Love coonery. However, Black love has a way of popping up through ‘fist bumps” when it’s time to get presidential.
Stevie Wonder said it best, “If it’s magic…why can it be everlasting.” And that’s what black love is…not dead…it’s everlasting.
This we know for sure.
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