In Episode 1 of Listen To Black Women, hosts Lore’l and singer-songwriter Elle Varner welcome Eboni K. Williams and Melyssa Ford to the studio for a frank discussion about dating as Black women.
“We’re in a crisis when it comes to Black women and romantic partnership,” says guest Eboni K. Williams, who famously riled the masses last year by saying she would date a bus driver only if “he owns the bus.”
Williams, the first Black cast member on The Real Housewives of New York City, doubled down on her assertion that Black women deserve better. “I think the main thing I’ve learned from this is people really want Black women to be happy with anything,” she says.
The lawyer-turned-media personality challenges the notion that Black women should date down and lower the bar just to have a partner. Williams notes that successful Black women in particular—such as the LTBW panel of successful yet single women—find themselves in a difficult position when it comes to dating.
“Most of us, contrary to popular belief, don’t just want a man. We want the man that we want. We want a man that we desire. We want a man that we’re actually attracted to—physically, emotionally, psychologically, intellectually,” she says.
“We represent Black women [who] are still paying a price and a tax for our success. Can we imagine what this conversation looks like with our darker-melanated sisters? Can we imagine what this conversation looks like with our curvier sisters?” Williams adds.
The panel also discusses the reality of dating non-Black men and the difference between dating as powerful men versus powerful women in this episode of Listen To Black Women.
Catch new episodes of Listen To Black Women every Friday on MADAMENOIRE.
