Love is something we all need as human beings. We desire to be wanted, needed, and cared for. We desire that one special person to walk through life with for a lifetime. A partner, a soulmate, a twin flame, but more than often we desire a husband or a wife. We seek to be married. In today’s society and dating culture—dating in itself is easily coined to be just as difficult as a marriage. Some men and women who are dating right now, don’t even make it past the first few years or to marriage at all. There is bound to be a breakup or two; or a marriage that ends in divorce within the first year.
We lack patience, and we want instant gratification without effort.
Love is a universal language. Across cultures, there is no true definition of love. Love comes in many different words, actions, feelings, and forms. When it comes to love in Black communities, it is exclusive and magical. Black men and women desire the type of love that symbolizes compassion, strength, support, and longevity. This type of love is often referred to as “Black Love”. To some, black love is defined as home or comfort. It’s a mutual understanding. It is having a partner that can relate to the struggles of everyday life as a person of color based on our given history, stereotypes, and prejudices. And—knowing when and how to meet those needs because you face the same struggles too. It’s an unspoken silence yet authentic.
When speaking about a lifetime, Pastor Charles Austin and First Lady LaTanya Austin of Mobile, Alabama exemplify the longevity of love in having been married for forty-one years. In a recent interview, they share what love means to them, how they make their marriage last, and the importance of keeping God in the center of your relationship and/or marriage.
Pastor Charles & Lady La Tanya Austin are the leaders of Faith Ministries, P.A.W. Church located in Mobile, Alabama.
Read the full story now in our JAN/FEB 2021 issue of FEMI Magazine which is available in digital and print under the subscription tab!
Image Credit: Calvin Howard
Follow Us On Social Media!
