While Biola students get the chance to talk about racial reconciliation at the SCORR conference (Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation), others in the Biola fold get to live it – they’re in an interracial marriage.

Such relationships are increasingly common. It was hardly 40 years ago that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Virginia law that barred whites from marrying non-whites. According to the Census Bureau, less than 1 percent of marriages were interracial in the 1970s; in the year 2000, about 3.5 percent and by the year 2007, about 6 percent of marriages were interracial. The Census Bureau also reported in August of 2008 that the U.S. minorities will be the majority by 2042, and that by the year 2050, the number of people classified as “mixed race” is expected to more than triple, from 5.2 million to 16.2 million.

The Loving v. Virginia ruling in 1967 caused drastic changes in the U.S. Although today there isn’t as much stigma to interracial marriage, there are still adjustments that such couples must make in relation to language, food, music, and different family traditions.

Every couple faces different adjustments, and one example is Larry and Jayme Acosta, who shared some of their experiences in a Feb. 6 chapel. Larry, who is Mexican, shared of his pre-conceived idea of the definition of “manhood” in marriage—“machismo”— a common concept among the Latino culture. Jayme, who is white, adjusted to living with her mother-in-law from the very beginning of her marriage, a living arrangement more common among Latino families.

On the other hand, Jessica Garcia, who works in Biola’s human resources department, and her husband, a Biola alum, had a bit of a different experience. Jessica, who is white, has made adjustments in her concept of family unity. She spends much time with her husband’s family and Spanish is primarily spoken at those gatherings. Family gatherings in the Garcia family include about 100 people getting together, accompanied by some mariachi music.

The differences among couples are vast, as well as the adjustments they must make. However, shared values and a common faith go a long way in unifying people of different ethnic backgrounds, particularly the Acostas and the Garcias.

Although Larry is Mexican and Jayme is white, Larry does not speak Spanish fluently so the primary language for their home is English. They are also both college graduates and they both have a heart for ministry. Jayme minored in Chicano studies and did ministry work before getting married, while Larry describes his experience as “assimilating” to the American culture.

Jessica and her husband met through their church, so they were both attending an English-speaking church as they began their relationship.

“They really embraced me,” Jessica said of her husband’s family. And when they want to enjoy some good Mexican food, Jessica cooks it right at home.

Although it is a more common occurrence today to see couples of different ethnic backgrounds come together, it is still a trend the public is adjusting to. Bob Jones University of South Carolina just dropped its ban on interracial dating in the year 2000. In the past few decades, more couples have joined together from different backgrounds, “compromising” on their differences, intertwining their different traditions and creating their own, while holding fast to their common values.

In light of this trend, America is becoming more of a “melting pot” than ever before.