When a 17-year-old interracial couple learned they were expecting their first child, they faced sheer backlash. But despite the criticism, they supported each other and eternalized their love by getting married two years later.
True love knows no boundaries. It doesn’t discriminate and is patient, kind, and accepting. Luckily, a young couple experienced this feeling firsthand after surviving numerous trials and tribulations.
Micki Morris was the eldest of five siblings. She was a pastor’s daughter and received homeschooling until high school. After fifteen years of marriage, her parents divorced. Then, Morris started attending different high schools.
She first crossed paths with her now-husband at her last high school. They were both 16, newbies, and shared the same English class. Morris had moved from Alaska to California, while her husband came from a few cities.
About a month after their first encounter, they were practically inseparable. The two teenagers came from different walks of life and hardly had anything in common. Still, they shared undeniable chemistry and quickly became best buddies.
After their senior year, the couple planned to attend the same college and live together. Soon, they became much more than high school sweethearts, and at 17 years old, they discovered they were pregnant with their first child.
The teen couple still had five months of high school left when they realized the magnitude of what had happened. Morris received offers from people who were willing to pay for her adoption. The increasing stares made her uncomfortable.
The Jacobses have been married for nearly seven decades, and despite the backlash, their love only deepened with time.
Morris and her now-husband were criticized, and her father accused her of tarnishing his reputation. At six months pregnant, she took a plane from California to Alaska and rented a room from her grandmother.
She was dumbfounded when her future spouse followed her to Alaska. The two lovebirds tied the knot on New Year’s Eve at 19 years old, with their baby girl at their side. However, even Alaska didn’t offer them the repose they needed. Morris recollected:
“It wasn’t until the hateful anonymous online messages started flooding in, the unnecessary traffic stops started, and our toddler ended up in the emergency room for getting bit and hit in the face at her daycare that I started to wake up to the truth.”
Morris soon realized that her family was black, and they weren’t welcomed in Alaska. She then moved back to California in pursuit of her family’s safety. Sadly, the judgment, hatred, and gossip continued.
Her husband was stopped multiple times for driving in a white neighborhood. The couple was followed and harassed by cops, and people’s whispers and stares only caused them discomfort. Despite the hardships, Morris and her husband stayed together.
Morris studied black history and culture and forged friendships with black women. She also left her job to look after her daughter. Fortunately, she’s now a self-employed entrepreneur and a full-time homeschooling mother.
Morris and her husband have been married for seven years and have three kids, Essence, Naomi, and Jayden. The couple also moved to Seattle amidst the coronavirus pandemic to seek a healthier, more fulfilling life.
The couple continues to raise their voice for the black community, online and in real life. Morris shared she’s seen a recent shift in people’s attitude and behavior toward the black community members. Regarding her family, she expressed:
“I am a mother to beautiful black children. I am a wife to a beautiful black man. I am an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Morris also mentioned that her family symbolizes love, unity, and togetherness, and the criticism she faced only increased her love for her children and husband.
Like Morris and her husband, mixed-race families are continuously subjected to disparaging treatment. Penny Umbers and Mark Bethel experienced something similar, compelling them to end their relationship as teenagers.