Bridging the Racial Divide

Scott and Elicia Walter had not met face-to-face when they first spoke on the phone. They had been told by a mutual friend about their difference in race and that did not stop them from wanting to get to know each other. Romantic interest was started at that first telephone encounter and has grown to become a now 20-year successful marriage bond.

“He was living in Charlotte, and I was living in Jacksonville, Florida,” said Elicia about that first call. “We were on the phone for a long time and had a list of things that were perfect,” said Scott. “We talked about goals, our interests, things we wanted to do and we had a common ground. And yes, she was different from me, but that did not bother me. Even now 20 years later she is still my best friend. She has far exceeded anything I could have ever hoped for in a wife.”

According to the Pew Research Center, one in five new marriages are now interracial. While statistics suggest that interracial marriages in America have gained greater acceptance, not all couples have that experience. Still, they have found ways to cope.

The Walters are no strangers to facing challenges due to their bi-racial marriage from the community. Not long after they were first married, as they were shopping at a store, Elicia was threatened by a group of men who told her she should not be with Scott. “One of them came up to my face and asked me if that was my girl,” said Scott. “When we were getting ready to leave they followed us out the door.” “They got more aggressive with body language and the things they were saying,” recalls Elicia. “We were worried about our physical safety. We got in the car and were able to drive off.”

As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the couple mutually believes in applying Bible principles on not retaliating. They believe we need to imitate God’s love and patience towards all people. This has helped them cope with this and other similar experiences they have had.

“I am not going to fight this person because there is no point in it, that will not be representative of what I believe in and my faith in God,” said Scott.

At times, they have even faced challenges at their place of employment. “At the job, one of the guys would get on me because he said I shouldn’t be with Elicia and have kids. I had a lot of problems in that job,” remembers Scott. When Elicia’s boss took a glance at her husband as he was dropping her off, the whole atmosphere at work changed for her. “It was so tense and very uncomfortable. A few months later I had to leave that job, the whole office turned on me.”

No matter what they experience, the couple always trusts in God's way of resolving the problem. “God says I am with you, and for us, not a day has gone by without eating,” says Elicia.

Pleasing God as their primary concern helps them stay very united.

“Anytime you have a situation where there is a difficulty, or when you face any kind of adversity as a relationship, you are going to get stronger with the threefold cord,” says Scott about having God as part of it. They rely on Bible-based publications found on jw.org to help them achieve the greatest happiness in marriage.

“If God is that center circle, all these other things like being from a city, or being from the country, being white or being black, they are like little bubbles outside. The main circle on the inside, that’s what matters. Your focus has to be on God. If your focus is not on God and it’s focused on one of these other little bubbles, then it is not going to work,” agreed Elicia.

They have good relationships with people of all races within their congregation in North Carolina. Regular attendance to these meetings along with their two children, reminds them that that all are equal in God’s eyes. By regular prayer and study of the Bible, along with resources found on jw.org, the Walters enjoy a happy family life and have successfully overcome the challenges of an interracial marriage.