Love in Black and White

Love in Black and White is an intimate documentary portrait of interracial couples and families in America. Through striking black-and-white photography and deeply personal interviews, Mary Motley Kalergis explores the realities of love across racial boundaries-not as abstraction or ideology, but as lived human experience.The couples portrayed in these pages speak candidly about attraction, marriage, family, prejudice, identity, and belonging. Their stories reveal tenderness, resilience, humor, conflict, and the quiet negotiations required to build a shared life in a society where race has often shaped expectations and opportunity. Some relationships began in the midst of social hostility; others reflect a new generation navigating questions of identity and acceptance. Together, they offer a rich portrait of enduring commitment and the many ways people create family.Kalergis approaches each subject with empathy, curiosity, and restraint, allowing individuals to speak in their own voices. Her photographs are not staged illustrations but documentary portraits that capture the dignity, warmth, and individuality of the people before her lens. The combination of image and first-person testimony creates a powerful conversation between what we see and what we hear.Originally published by Dafina Books, Love in Black and White remains as relevant today as when it first appeared. At a time when discussions of race often become polarized, this book offers something rarer: an opportunity to listen. Rather than arguing a point of view, it invites readers into the everyday lives of couples whose experiences illuminate universal themes of love, trust, family, and belonging.Both a visual documentary and an oral history, Love in Black and White is a moving testament to the enduring complexity of human relationships and the power of love to bridge differences while honoring the uniqueness of every story.