Winston-Salem State University students Tasha Barnett and Aaron Little met through a mutual friend, and the couple has been together ever since. They’ve even discussed the possibility of marriage.
If they do decide to marry, they will find that marriage brings important benefits. A study released in October by the New York-based Institute for American Values found that married African Americans are “wealthier, happier and choose healthier behaviors than their unmarried peers, and their children typically fare better in life.”
Both Little and Barnett said they believe they have a clear understanding of what marriage is all about. “It’s about love, being loyal, being respectful, and being each others friend,” they said jointly, smiling at each other.
The study, “Consequences of Marriage for African Americans: A Comprehensive Literature Review” also found that African-American boys who grow up in two-parent homes are less likely to get into trouble and they also tend to do better in school.
One of the recommendations to come out of the report was that policies aimed at increasing marriage rates and marital quality among African Americans should focus on “tax reform, reducing domestic violence, providing culturally-relevant marital education and counseling,” among other efforts.
Ja’Nate Boulware and George Croom are another couple on campus. They, too, met at WSSU. Boulware said she believes the cornerstone of marriage is trust. “Without trust nothing will follow,” she said.
Boulware added that her parents taught her the importance of friendship in a relationship. “My parents were friends a long time before they got married,” she said.