The Black experience in AZ, & mixed couples? (Phoenix, Tucson: schools, living in)

[acaciafae]

Hi there!

I know there's been threads on this subject in the past, but a lot has changed since 2012 and we'd love some up to date information from African American people living in Arizona, as well as people in mixed relationships or raising a mixed family.

My husband and I are a mixed couple planning to move to Arizona in January.

I'm white/Jewish from Seattle, and he's Black from Atlanta. We currently live internationally and enjoy the ability to pretty much forget that we're a mixed couple. When we visited my parents in Seattle, the same was true. But when we visited his family in Atlanta, we experienced a lot of ... passive-aggressive behavior throughout the city, especially outside the city and in Savannah from white people. It was my first time experiencing that first hand, and I definitely don't want us to live in a place where that's the norm - ESPECIALLY for our future children.

I lived in Prescott for a couple of years and absolutely love AZ, but of course, never saw it through a lens outside my own.

What has been your experience with things like law enforcement or schools?
Racism is everywhere, of course, but does it feel more of a rarity in Arizona or part of daily experience?
Are there any areas in Arizona you would recommend or not?

Thank you so much for your time!

[grmi66]

My guess is that it will be a non-issue, Arizona is a pretty diverse state. Have a brother in law enforcement and one of his pet peeves is being accused of profiling when doing a traffic stop. Almost everyone in the state drives with tinted windows, so he can't tell what you look like until he has you roll down the window. Keep your hands at 10 & 2 and answer the officers questions calmly and there shouldn't be any issues. Same advice I'd give anyone, no matter what the color of their skin is.

Two of my close relatives are involved in mixed race relationships and visit often after relocating to other cities for work. They experienced more discrimination in the midwest and east coast where they live now, than anything around here.

[sacreole]

Originally Posted by acaciafae

Hi there!

I know there's been threads on this subject in the past, but a lot has changed since 2012 and we'd love some up to date information from African American people living in Arizona, as well as people in mixed relationships or raising a mixed family.

My husband and I are a mixed couple planning to move to Arizona in January.

I'm white/Jewish from Seattle, and he's Black from Atlanta. We currently live internationally and enjoy the ability to pretty much forget that we're a mixed couple. When we visited my parents in Seattle, the same was true. But when we visited his family in Atlanta, we experienced a lot of ... passive-aggressive behavior throughout the city, especially outside the city and in Savannah from white people. It was my first time experiencing that first hand, and I definitely don't want us to live in a place where that's the norm - ESPECIALLY for our future children.

I lived in Prescott for a couple of years and absolutely love AZ, but of course, never saw it through a lens outside my own.

What has been your experience with things like law enforcement or schools?
Racism is everywhere, of course, but does it feel more of a rarity in Arizona or part of daily experience?
Are there any areas in Arizona you would recommend or not?

Thank you so much for your time!

There are a couple of YouTube channels that I would recommend you checking out. They both address moving to and living in Arizona (Phoenix Metro) and involve black or interracial families. The first channel is called "Arizona Dreamz." The channel host moved to Arizona from Michigan about two years ago with his wife and their three children. He happens to be white and his wife is black. They recently produced a video on the issue of being an interracial couple in Arizona. Here's the link:

https://youtu.be/O3CiiETN7tg

The other YouTube channel is "Desert Dweller Debz": https://youtu.be/Pb4fsvWTHmI

The hostess of this channel is a black woman of Congolese descent, who was born and raised in Paris, France. Her videos are similar those of Arizona Dreamz but include more ethnic experiences and sites in the Phoenix Metro area.

And from my personal perspective, my great-aunt's family lives in Tucson. They also happen to be black and my cousins have been quite successful in their respective fields of endeavor (dentistry, higher education, school administration).

I hope this is helpful.

[Dangerous Dave]

To be honest and cut to the chase, it'll really depend on where you're looking at in AZ. I'm thinking that metro Phoenix or Tucson will be somewhere in between your experiences in Atlanta and Seattle.

Smaller areas can be a mixed bag in AZ... in most smaller towns, however I think people have a live and let live attitude. People generally tend to stay out of everyone else's business, and for many of them that's why they live there in the first place.

[goolsbyjazz]

Don't think you will have a problem at all. I have dear friends in mixed-marriages and they all do fine. Good luck with your move and let me be the first to welcome you back to Arizona.

[KurtAZ]

Well...Atlanta is still the "South". Will you run into prejudice in AZ...probably...but it won't be as widespread as GA. I would probably say 95% of the time...people won't care about your or your husband's skin tone. It tends to be more how you treat others. If you are rude and self-centered, expect to be treated poorly. If you are normally open and friendly you will probably get the same in return. Unless the person you are dealing with is in a serious need of a Snickers bar.

[PhoenixSomeday]

I am white and my wife is mixed, and we have kids. We've been here for 5 years and have never had any issues. Specifically, the Phoenix metro area.

[veritased]

I'm in PhoenixSomeday boat, and I am sure there are, by definition, in this large population some few well hidden stereotypers who dream of the all white blond hair blue eye society. But really, are you insulted by someone who is clearly so unintelligent that they believe there is an inequality because of the tone of the top 200 microns of someones epidermis? Me? I just laugh at them.

[bobsell]

Mixed race couples are not an issue here. People are pretty chill about that in the Phoenix area.

[YAZ]

We do lox and ribs the same day 'round here. Don't care what you look like, as long as you're nice.