A group of about 20 students of various backgrounds, including white, black, Hispanic and Asian, discussed interracial dating and its role in society Thursday night at Griffin-Floyd Hall.
FEARLESS, or Fiercely Eradicate All Racism, Love Enemies, and Serve Society, a UF student organization that speaks out against racism, invited three panelists to answer questions and offer opinions on interracial relationships.
The group showed various video clips to the audience, including one from "The Ricki Lake Show" in which a black woman was angry because her white co-worker was dating a black man.
The panelists shared their reactions after each clip.
Michael Leslie, a UF telecommunication professor who specializes in the media's portrayal of different races and cultures, said he could understand the black woman's reaction.
Leslie said black women feel threatened by white women who date black men because it gives them fewer options to choose from.
Emma Phan, a counselor at the UF Counseling Center, said families' and friends' expectations influence how people feel about dating someone outside their race, but that shouldn't stop them.
"Find your own voice and fight against the indoctrination," Phan said.
Phan, who is Vietnamese, is also in an interracial marriage.
It took her seven years to tell her family that her husband is black, she said.
Mary Fukuyama, another UF counselor, said society is adapting to the idea of interracial relationships, but backlash always follows.
"I think anybody who steps out of the boundaries will be criticized," Fukuyama said.
James Jackson, president and founder of FEARLESS, said in an interview before the panel that interracial dating has become more socially acceptable, but there's more work to be done.
"There are always going to be setbacks," Jackson said.
"Things may not be so idealistic right now, but they're not so dark either."
