BLACK WOMEN WE’RE SURPRISED DATED/MARRIED WHITE MEN

I love when black women date outside their race. It shows we can do it too. Check out some girls that did it looking fab.

Eve E had no qualms about getting her swirl on with mogul and race-car driver Maximillion Cooper. The couple, who met in London in 2010, have been going strong for nearly three years, despite a little hateration here and there. Eve spoke to Hot 97’s Angie Martinez recently about her relationship: “We learn a lot about each other but people came at me like, ‘I can’t believe you’re dating a white dude and you don’t like black dudes no more.’ I’m like, ‘I love black men, it just so happens that my heart went this way right now.’” Thatta, girl!

African-American author, poet, feminist, producer, civil rights activist and overall amazing woman Maya Angelou has devoted much of her life to giving an honest look inside black culture, particularly from a female point of view. So it might come as a surprise that during one of the most racially tumultuous eras in American history Angelou married aspiring Greek musician Tosh Angelos in 1951. Though the marriage ended in 1954, the couple did give birth to Angelou’s only child, son Guy Johnson.

Life imitated art (or maybe art imitated life) when Love & Basketball star Sanaa Lathan began dating music executive Steve Rifkind. Though the two got their co-habitating on, their relationship ultimately came to an end. While this lovely lady is currently back on the market, we have no doubt that she will find one hell of a mate of any persuasion she chooses. Hey, maybe Simon Baker is available? Those two definitely had some chemistry.

Part of the new wave of social activism among African-American celebrities and a vocal supporter of President Barack Obama, Kerry Washington was definitely one we were surprised to learn had seemingly only dipped her toe into the interracial waters. One of her most notable relationships was in fact with David Moscow, the child actor who starred in Big.

We’re sorry, but we couldn’t help ourselves but to slip in Ms. Robin Givens into this slideshow after Mike Tyson revealed his ex-wife’s swirl secret. He claims to have caught his then-wife in bed with Brad Pitt. We’re not condoning infidelity here, but if your marriage has to come to a screeching halt, it might as well come in the arms of that hot man.

The absolutely timeless Alfre Woodard has dazzled us on the big screen for decades. And while Woodard’s many accolades (including Golden Globes, Emmy Awards and several Academy Award nominations) have made her one of the most recognizable black actresses in Hollywood, one of the lesser known facts about this talented woman is her nearly 30 year marriage to screenwriting instructor Roderick Spencer. Their beautiful union has created two children, including daughter Mavis who served as Miss Golden Globe 2010.

We were on the fence about including stunning Haitian-American beauty Garcelle Beauvais on our list, largely due to the bougie character she played on TV (you, Fancy, huh). But it was because of that role on one of the most popular black sitcoms of the late-90s that she earned a spot on our list with her marriage to agent Mike Nilon. Unfortunately, their union went up in flames when Beauvais discovered an extramarital affair Nilon was having (and promptly blew up his spot to his co-workers via e-mail).
 

Roxie, Roxie, Roxie. No list about interracial couples would be complete without Roxie Roker. While her role on The Jeffersons catapulted her into the spotlight, she also became a television trailblazer due to her on-screen marriage to Franklin Cover (Tom Willis), a white man. The pair became the first interracial couple to be featured in primetime. But her trailblazing didn’t stop with the hit show. Roker would also marry white filmmaker and news producer Sy Kravitz and the rest is history … and one particularly awesome rocker named Lenny

She may be one of Motown’s biggest icons and a huge musical inspiration to many of today’s R&B singers, but that has never stopped Ms. Diana Ross from doing what – and who – she wants, no matter the criticism. Though Diana had been involved with her boss, Berry Gordy, for years, in the early 1970s, Ross married white music exec Robert Ellis Silberstein. A divorce would follow, as would a line of a swirlfric romances, culminating in her second marriage to Norwegian businessman Arne Naess Jr.

Whoopi! How did you make this list? Easy, Goldberg has been married to three white men: Lyle Trachtenberg, David Claessen and Alvin Martin. This might come as quite the shock given Goldberg’s penchant for playing strong African-American women in movies such as The Color Purple and The Long Walk Home.

Sister Serena might like men of the Common variety, but Venus? Well, she’s a different story. The tennis star had a long relationship with golfer Hank Kuehne before ending up with her most recent love interest: Cuban model Elio Pis. Ay dios mio, we gotta give credit, where credit is due; he’s quite the hottie.

One of the stars of Why Did I Get Married and Dreamgirls, Sharon Leal  hasn’t been afraid to explore new territory when it comes to her love life. This beauty is no stranger to a little blue-eyed loving and has been spotted out and about with dancer and choreographer Paul Becker.