Darkies in Love - No One Cares: Al Roker and Deborah Roberts

I wish I had a nickle for every time I heard some black woman say that they don't like a (black) man who is corny. This is not just isolated incidents or hood chicks - this sentiment is rampant in the black community. For some odd reason, many black women find a man who is corny incredibly annoying. Of course once those corny men ascend to astronomical heights (Barack Obama, the corniest black man in America) he suddenly has "swagger" and is "suave" and "cool". Notice that it usually happens when these men "crossover" and are adored by white women. Just make a note of that.

Anyway, corny men make good husbands and fathers. Why? Because they tend to not take themselves too seriously. They tend to not be hyper-masculine and they tend to appreciate humor and know how to use humor to keep a woman interested and kids entertained. I am a proud card-carrying member of the corny wives club - my husband is the cornball nerd type.

Al Roker is a nerd. He is a graduate of SUNY Oswego, a weatherman, an author, and to some people a fat, jolly black guy who coons it up for white folks on TV. Deborah Roberts is a graduate of the University of Georgia and a successful anchor for ABC television. She used to work for NBC where she met Al. They married in September of 1995 in New York City. Al had been married before and had a daughter, Courtney. I am not 100% certain but I believe Al's first wife was a nonblack woman. In the pictures I have seen of Courtney she looks to be biracial. Again, I am not sure though. So don't quote me on that.

Al and Deborah have two children together, Leilah and Nicholas. They are regular fixtures in New York City and are seen out and about at the ballet, theater, fundraisers and other events. Al has been a success for years in front of the camera but has also worked hard to build an empire as a producer and tv executive. He is also a "foodie" and has written cookbooks and produced specials for the Food Network. By all accounts the man knows how to make money and provide for his family. He and his wife are on COMPETING morning shows yet they still make it work.

It was hard finding information on this couple because guess what - NO ONE CARES. No features in Essence or Ebony, no profiles on blogs, nada. Just two regular looking black people married with children. Nothing to see here folks, no big deal. This is another example of the invisible black marriage. I will write about this more on the blog because I feel like it is a huge issue. More people make $$$ off the belief that black people do not believe in marriage, don't get married and don't stay married. They throw around statistics to build up their arguments yet they ignore other factors which lead to these biased stats. Al Roker and Deborah Roberts are a real life professional black couple. She is a good looking black woman with dark skin and relaxed hair. She is not "weaved out" or a size 0. Her husband is a huge advocate for fathers and fatherhood and has written books on the subject. He has won awards for his work. All without the "support" of black American women. He has not had a single rally held in his honor by any black female group. He has not been given any honors (as far as I know) by the black community. Yet still he has done A LOT to "keep up" the image of black American men. Why don't the black female supremacists advise their foot soldiers to go out and buy his books, watch his specials, etc? They should be giving this man support because his money is being spent on his black wife and black children.

Where is the campaign for Al Roker? Where is the love?