Instagram/loriharvey
People’s Sexiest Man Alive declared “I want children. I want a wife,” and months later the hearts around the world are beginning to slowly mend after news hit that Michael B. Jordan is officially taken by Lori Harvey, model and stepdaughter of Steve Harvey.
Rumors about the couple’s relationship status had been building for months since they were photographed together in Atlanta two months prior to them confirming the rumors by posting separate photos together on their respective Instagram accounts on January 10th.
Though they are both celebrities with Michael B Jordan starting his acting career as young as 12 years old with his appearance in The Cosby Show that blossomed into superstardom with his breakthrough performance in Fruitvale Station and leading role in Marvel’s Black Panther, Creed, and Just Mercy — and Lori Harvey being a child star as well with minor roles in her stepdads shows to now starring in music videos and modeling for names such as Dolce and Gabbana, their union is a reminder that Black Love is Black Triumph.
For years, media stories have focused on the downfall of black love. Showcasing this negative representation of what the black union is capable of from articles that point to the “undesirability” of black women, criminalization of the black man, or highlighting the number of failing black marriages — it appears like we aren’t able to build loving relationships or simply put aren’t capable of love.
Imani Perry, an African American studies professor at Princeton University discussed this problematic narrative surrounding black relationships with the HuffPost saying black relationships have historically been steeped in controversy and heavily policed.
“Something particular that we focus on is whether black people are able to build loving relationships given the history…of coming into the United States being slaves, … of having our gender relationships from the outset depicted as disordered, [of] confronting the reality of not being able to control intimate association, whether that be with partners or children,”
With that being the narrative pushed on the black union, black love becomes a “revolutionary act” as Marc Neal, a professor at Duke University stated because it exemplifies an opposition to the black stereotypes that need to be demolished.
When you see a black couple, family, friends embodying love for one another in the face of the obstacles designed to tear them down it is something to be admired. Each representation of black love is destroying the media’s tired trope of our alleged “dysfunction”.
The beauty in Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey’s union isn’t because they’re both attractive but because they represent a love that is hard to find represented in a positive manner. They show the world that you are wrong. Black women are worthwhile, Black men are distinguished, and Black relationships are harmonious.
Resources:
Usatoday.Com, 2021, https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/01/14/michael-b-jordan-lori-harvey-everything-we-know-couple/4158435001/. Accessed 3 Mar 2021.
“Why Black Love (Still) Matters”. Essence, 2021, https://www.essence.com/news/sound-off-why-black-love-still-matters/. Accessed 3 Mar 2021.
“Despite Obstacles, Black Love Is ‘Incredibly Resilient And Beautiful’”. Huffpost, 2015, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/history-black-love_n_6661604. Accessed 3 Mar 2021.
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