Stephen Marche heralds it:
Cultural and political mouthpieces have been forecasting — or warning about — the mixing of race via marriage for decades. And a recent study by the Pew Research Center indeed showed a marked rise in the number of intermarriages in America, from less than 7 percent in 1980 to more than 15 percent in 2010. The 2010 census showed an even sharper acceleration in the trend, with interracial couples constituting nearly 10 percent of American married couples, a 28 percent jump since 2000.
But what nobody foresaw was the power and influence mixed families would wield. According to Pew, couples who marry out tend to be slightly wealthier and more educated than ones who marry in. More generally, biraciality has become a signifier of currency and prosperity.
He then asks:
Which Bush do you think has a better chance of showing up on a Republican ticket in 2032 — one of the sorority-approved white-girl twins or the Navy veteran half-Mexican-American son of a governor who took 60 percent of the Hispanic vote in Florida?
For a more personal take, check out Diane Farr's account of navigating the generational differences surrounding her own interracial marriage:
At this time in our history, when large portions of the world are so angry at the seeming entitlement of America, you would think our country might come together. But for all the social progress we have made over the last thirty years in public — in education and real estate, and business and friendship even — forward movement has not fully crossed over into the privacy of people’s homes. Many good people in this country, including my husband’s parents and mine, are still drawing a line at who is acceptable for love — and who is not.
(Photo: The nephews of US President-elect George W. Bush, George P. Bush (L) and Jeb Bush Jr. (R), stand together on January 20, 2001, before the swearing in ceremony at the US Capitol. By Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)
The Dish 