Black Love
Black love is a forever bond between two individuals who choose each other despite life’s obstacles, challenges and even joys. Black love is sacred, hopeful and on display on every social media page, docuseries, movie and reality television show.
Brandon and Kristina Bowman Smith decided to take a leap and showcase their black love on screens for the newest “Love & Marriage” spinoff in Detroit. The couple has been married for 11 years and have two beautiful daughters.
For the Smiths, Black love is as beautiful as good music and poetry. Brandon adds that Black Love feels like Musiq Soulchild, India Arie and Love Jones.
It’s always amazing when two people decide to choose love. Many of us have seen a variety of dynamics modeled in relation to love, so deciding to commit to a singular person for a lifetime can often be an exciting journey.
For Kristina Bowman Smith, black love was the tone of her life, stating, “I grew up watching black love from my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. This gave me much hope of what I desired in marriage, husband and family.”
Brandon Smith, however, was a different story, “I grew up a biracial child that was also a product of divorce. I had a very unrealistic view of marriage and thought it would be like the Huxtables. Love has taught me that marriage isn’t just about love – I’ve loved and lost. To me, it is more about commitment. The decision that you will make it happen no matter what.”
‘Love & Marriage: Detroit’
The Love & Marriage franchise brand is known for showcasing beautifully successful black families who aid in community and civic development, leadership and business.
However, Detroit has been under a Black resurgence in an effort to bring opportunity back to the city. Once known as the black music capital and forever as the “Motor City,” one thing remains true: Detroit is on the rise, and so are the people. “Love & Marriage: Detroit” hopes to showcase the strength and tenacity of the black culture scene.
The Smiths add Detroit is such a resilient city. We’ve always had the spotlight on us in a negative way for crime and other negativity, so we are taking the opportunity to change the narrative. Detroit, also as a whole, is changing for the better. Our black entrepreneur scene is very well connected. Additionally, when we were approached about the opportunity, I saw it as a great way to propel forward. We sat down and prayed about it, and here we are. We’ve also struggled with communication issues, so reality television, being centered around dialogue, forced us to deal with what we ignored. I believe it’s helped us to grow, and it’s been a great experience for our union. We just celebrated 12 years of marriage, so we’re going strong.
Catch the Smiths on Saturday nights on Love & Marriage: Detroit on OWN.
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