II. Marriage in Black and White

Is Marriage for White People? tackles many of the issues that lie at the intersection of race, marriage, and family life. Despite its virtues, however, certain aspects of the book merit further discussion. This Part considers a core component of Banks's project: his critique of economically “mixed” marriages and the interracial-marriage prescription that proceeds from this critique. My aim is not so much to challenge Banks's interracial-marriage prescription, which is admirably focused on expanding the universe of possibilities for intimate partnership. Instead, I hope to call attention to some of the underappreciated aspects of Banks's critique of economically mixed marriages and its concomitant call for interracial marriage.