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Gabrielle Union’s February Essence cover with Dwayne Wade caught a few side eyes considering the couple’s history, but for the most part people supported the celebration of black love and marveled at their gorgeous photos.

The shoot was the first time we’d seen the two so open with their relationship, and when Sister 2 Sister asked the actress why she and D Wade accepted the offer to cover the magazine, Gabrielle said they wanted to model proud dark-skinned love.

“We didn’t realize that what people were thinking was that we were being kept off of covers and that we were being shunned because we were a darker-skinned African American couple, and when we realized that—and people were like, ‘We want more images of darker-skinned African Americans,’ and also to know that a man of his stature would choose an older woman and a browner woman—we want to see those images, and we were like, ‘Are we being a little selfish?’”

Gabby definitely has a point, I’d only thought about the couple being kept off of covers because of the “homewrecker” allegations, but in this day and age, it’s definitely important to see that ballers aren’t only choosing young, light-skinned or white women. Gabrielle Union is a proud brown-skinned woman who will turn 40 this year and I think most people are happy about what they represent (ex-wife shenanigans aside).

Check out more of the interview here. Do you think Gabby and D Wade’s relationship is a necessary example of not just black love, but dark-skinned love?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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