This season of Married at First Sight (MAFS) in New Orleans has been one of the most remarkable, yet! With over 70,000 people applying since Season One, the number of applicants of color has increased incrementally. This season, we choose four awesome individuals who will be a positive representation of what Black love looks like in all it’s complicated nuances.
When
we met Amani, we saw an attractive, confident and emotionally secure
woman. The challenge was finding a man who wasn’t intimidated by her
honesty and who could contribute to her growth. I thought of her as
somewhat of an ebony chameleon. She could adapt to different situations
based on the circumstances, but she needed a man who could handle her
strength.
Woody has had no problems dating. His suave style and confidence are impressive. He stated to me that he loves strong women, because he was raised by strong women. What I love about him is that he knows himself and makes no apologies for it. Confident that his player days were done, I believed that he had the personal discipline and humility to make marriage work.
We are all big fans of Karen. She is an intelligent and beautiful woman who was raised in a very traditional family structure. This could be great or challenging. I was pleased with the fact that she has a strong father in her life, and he persistently grilled and questioned me personally about whether we would take care of his baby girl. I must admit, it was a trying conversation, but as a dad, I respect that. Also, Karen had some past hurt that would require a patient, kind and loving man. My goal was to find her someone completely opposite to what she had become accustomed to.
Miles is the kind of young man who is not only mature beyond his 26 years, but possesses a dignified presence that gets your attention when he walks in the room. I personally look for men to be married at first sight who are extremely mature, value women and are done with the dating life. Miles checks every box and we knew we had an ideal candidate who would make someone a great husband.
I believe MAFS has become somewhat of a social phenomenon, especially in the Black culture. With so much negative press about the availability and suitability of marriageable Black men and the corresponding exasperation of Black women, this experiment, which creates positive families is vital for our culture. To date, we’ve created nine married couples, three of which are Black, and five beautiful babies.
Is this a perfect process? No. In fact, we have had regrets from matching people we sincerely thought were compatible, only to find out they were not ready for the rigors of a documented, but real marriage. Nevertheless, the couples who are trying every day to make marriage work and are achieving success on so many levels, are an indication to me that Married at First Sight is a viable and needed experiment that I am blessed to be part of.
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