Something New the movie made something of a splash when it came out in 2006  portraying interracial romance.  Fast forward 9 years, and “something new” isn’t so new anymore.  With 15% of new marriages consisting of interracial marriages, something new is becoming something tried and true.

Still there are those for whom interracial dating and interracial relationships still are pretty new.  For them, here are some tips.  This bunch of tips is for White guys dating Black women.  If you have tips for Black women dating White men, please send them along.

1. Do not quote Dr. King, Malcolm X, Chuck D, Biggie or even Jay-Z in the first conversation.

2. The compliment “your hair looks nice” does not have to be and should not be coupled with a hair pat.

3. Never use the word “honky” (don’t use the N-Word either, but that seems self-evident)

4. Best to avoid discussing slavery.

5. On a related note, there is nothing to be gained by trying to decide which is worse – the Holocaust or slavery (or, for that matter, the genocide of Native Americans or Armenians or in Rwanda or the Killing Fields of Cambodia).  Genocide is genocide.  Evil is evil.  Best to stick to more lighthearted fare, like “hey, do you prefer Merlot or Cabernet?”

6. No discussion of dick size.

7. It’s okay if you don’t know hip-hop.  Better to be honest about that than pretend. By the way, not every Black person is a hip-hop encyclopedia.

8. Calling someone “Black” is not the same as calling them the “N-Word.” You don’t have to be afraid to say the word.  And, you don’t have to try to lessen the impact by whispering.  On the other hand, no need to overuse it, either.  Black people, White people, Asian people — in the end, we’re all just people.

9. Using the word “fo’shizzle” is unacceptable.

10. Imagine if you will that racism and discrimination and stereotypes didn’t exist, then behave as if that were actually the case.