Yo Tyra ! "The black woman's forum" episode was interesting. But kinda sad. It offered no solutions, just issue after issue with no remedy. For example: The young women that stated very truthfully,she's attracted to the wrong type of guys, should have been challenged by a psychologist as to why that is, and how it will negatively affect her life. Let alone keep her from finding a good man. Or when you touched very lightly on obesity and the distorted body image many "black" women seem to have,that its ok be obese. Hey,curves are great, but you can have to much of a good thing. And that's bad on your health & your love life. I'm no TV producer but a complete & balanced show should not only give us the issues, but the tools to address said issues. And lastly; as a black male who has a steady job,owns my home & car. But is only 5'6, has 2left feet & no "spinners" on my rims. It would be nice to meet an interested "sista". But like the brother on the show said, Ya'll want Tu Pac with a degree........ Sad.

Dear Tyra and readers, I was very interested in this particular 'episode.' See, I am a white woman married to a black man, and I wanted to shed a little light onto my point of view. Many of the women seemed angry at people like me; who are dating outside of their race. There have been many times where I have been ridiculed. His family does not want him dating me because I am white. His mother and sisters and all their friends look at me like I am an alien. They constantly tell him to leave me even when I'm right next to him. I really love him, and he really loves me, but everytime a holiday comes around, I feel uncomfortble going to see his family. I'm actaully afraid to have a child with my husband in fear that his family will not accept their own flesh and blood. If we are happy together; if I make him happy, why should they dislike me? I agree with Ayanna, you cannot control who you love. When you find love, you find it no matter what color skin. Everybody really needs to think about what judgements they are passing, and what they say because it's not the skin color; it's the person inside. Bottom line: Should it really matter what color your 'significant other' is? And I'm postive that everyone knows the right answer to that. Thank you, Andrea Carter

Hi Ms. Bankable, I'd just like to say that I truly appreciate the topics you shed light on pertaining to black women. I was fortunate enough to watch the show that aired on June 19,2008. I found it's contents to be sad but true to a degree. I would love to see you do a show based on the feelings of Black mothers toward their sons who choose to only date women of other races if you haven't done so. I'm the proud mom of a 16 year old who has chosen to date only young ladies from other ethnicities. Years ago when this came to my attention I was very upset because I felt as if there was something wrong with me. I asked him why he had a problem dating within his own race? He couldn't give me a response that would validate his actions. Over time I've come to accept his decisions whether I like them or not. I always tell him,"as long as she genuinely loves you." The truth of the matter is I've had to get over thinking that something was wrong with me or that I did something to make him choose this. I tell him all the time,"you came from a beautiful black woman why wouldn't you want to date one?" I also tell him that it's one thing to date various races but when you get to the place where you will only date one that's not your own it says something about who you are as a person. It just fits that whole "white is better" mentality. Sometimes it really hurts my heart to think I went wrong somewhere. To added insult to injury as i watched your show he had gone to the beauty supply store for me to purchase

Dear Tyra, I am a 14yr old girl and will be a sophomore this coming school year. And I have problem with my skin color and hair. And because of that it's hard to fit in. You see, I am mixed, my mother is white and my father is black. I feel that when ever I'm around darker skinned girls that I'm not dark enough or if I'm hanging with the sista's they ask if I'm mixed and if my dad's black. I reply yeah my mom's white and my dad's black and that I live with my mom. Then they look at me like "oh..she's with her WHITE mom". What get's me confused is then they will be talking about how cool my hair is. Then go around say to me that I "act white". How in the world do you act white? Is it because I don't act crazy and ghetto? I really have no clue. The other problem is when I'm with lighter skinned girls. I feel too dark and that I need to try to stay out of the sun so I don't get darker. Sometimes I get told that I act too black. Once again how does one act like the number pigments in the skin??? One of the biggest and most horrifying of my troubles is boys and the texture of my hair. It seems like there is no guy out there in the world who likes my hair texture. It's very curly and fuzzy and BIG! But I do an excellent job of controlling the fuzz and "bigness" of it (I also do a wonderful job of making the curls look good). When ever I straighten my hair and it's all straight and beautiful I get heads turning. But when I have my

LADY'S THIS IS SAD BUT TRUE THE MORE YOU DOG A MAN THE MORE HE LOVES YOU, NEVER WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE.

hi tyra i watch your show the other on black women and i think personally you did a great job.am a black woman living in jamaica ,and i have a problem with men. am a good woman who caters to her man every needs and still yet he cheats on me.my other problem is i have stretch marks on my body and i don't know how to get rid of them and i don't like anyone seeing me naked includes my boyfriend i really don't comfortable with them and i can't go to the beach looking like that with my boyfriend cause i know he would be looking at other with fawless skin what should i do help me please tyra if you have any solutions i would be so grateful and it would change my life for the better.

Tyra: I am an educated, unselfish, health conscious, God fearing, humanitarian, black woman, cognitive of the plight of the black woman. Ladies you are the queens. But for so long I have seen us belittle ourselves, disrespect yourselves, not take care of ourselves. Promiscuous. Not worrying about HIV. It starts with you. Stop the smoking. ( Yes, the smoking ). I was told overeating is a sin. Cleanse the body. Detoxing makes you lose weight. And start doing something. Some of us are not trying. Some of you are selling your soul and not caring what other people think. As for as the issue of black men and white women. Black men may soon make themselves extinct. We need to stop hating and start loving one another. Black women you know you will always be the Queen. But it starts with the man in the mirror. Make that change!

What about Black girls that are attracted to guys of other races? If you ask me, that's an even more painful issue. For one, it's hard to be attracted to a race not of your own because the people around you judge you and ridicule you, PLUS (stereotypically) people not of your race generally hold negative pre-dispositions about your race, and the chances of them actually being attracted to you are pretty slim. And, even if they were, fear alone might just hold them back. For example, I'm open to guys of pretty much any race (I say this loosely though, because it's not really race that's an issue--it's personality, chemistry, etc... that really matters). However, my track record shows my attraction has leaned more towards Asians and white guys. But, statistically (whatever that means), these are races that have had a bad history with Blacks. Or, in other words, it would be harder to be with a white or Asian guy, and easier to be with a Black guy, based solely on the racist/discriminatory social constructs of our (receding?) society. When people look at me, they see a Black girl. Therefore, they expect me to be with a Black guy. Similarly, there are probably more Black guys that would be attracted to me, compared to Asian or white guys. If someone saw me with a Black guy, it would just be natural in their mind, and they wouldn't think twice about it. However, if I was with somebody that "didn't look like me" (different colored skin, different hair texture, etc) then they might think that we don't look good together, or might wonder why we're together. I really wished there would be a segment that focused on the complications of interracial relationships and issues of attractions that cross the

As a black woman reading the posts, I'm getting very frustrated and even a little pissed off. I have no problem with interracial relationships, I too believe that you cannot help who you love. On the other hand, I also understand the black women when they say that the "white women are stealing our men." I think they may not be expressing it in the right words but I understand it none the less. I am not necessarily attracted to any other race but I believe in love and whatever "package" it may come in. Some of the white people may have a problem with what I am about to say because it is being brought up once again, but I don't care. It all goes back to slavery. Black people will never "get over" slavery. That is a part of our history and we still live with the effects of it today. What white people don't and will never understand is the scars that slavery has left on black people that are still prevalent today. Some black people, ecspecially black women are not attracted to white men, asian men, hispanic men, etc. AT ALL!! Just as I am sure it can go the other way around as well. But what also comes along with that is just the pure thought of dating a white man, knowing all of the things that white men have done to our race over the years. White women have been with black men for years. Even when they openly hated us. "Master" was coming into the slave cabins raping black women, while the woman of the plantation was sleeping with our husbands. Racism is still alive and well in America and it will ALWAYS BE ABOUT RACE especially White vs. Black. Anyone who thinks

Congrats on your "Most Informative Award". It seems no matter what the topic of your show Tyra turns it around to be all about herself. The last show I watched was about the so-called Black Women's Forum. Funny, I always thought forums were people having free forms of expressions, exept in this one was two guys with something to say and an audience of Tyra fans booing them after they tell them what they don't want to hear. I date outside my race. And, from this show, I can give you a few examples of why. The subject matter was turning toward Black women's wieght gain, and before the conversation went to Black women taking off pounds and putting on make-up so they would look attractive, it went to how these fat over confident women should keep a hair style. My point is, the "good" Black man can see a hot chick every day and know if she is single then some other guy was feed up with her, and if we see a slightly flawed chick we know that some other guy made a mistake and she's a catch. When it comes to Black women it appears to be backwards. My message to all your readers is "Strong women are out-The weak Black women are in." I know that some things I said will upset most people. But, I think an old folks home full of un-married bitter women is upsetting as well.

Hey Tyra, I am a 24-year-old married black woman with a degree and I own my own home. As black women, we need to decide what is important to us. I ask myself what I need in a relationship and what negative things I can tolerate. I know I need respect, a good father figure for my child and a man who will go to work every day. I can tolerate a man who makes less money than I do, who does not have a degree, or who does not look like Morris Chestnut. Prince Charming exists only in fairy tales. Good black men are hard to come by. So many are automatically taken from the pool due to jail, drugs, and drive-bys. Many of the ones that are left did not grow up with a good male role model, so they do not know how to be men. As black women and men, we need to support each other, and not give up on our race. Black men put the time in with your black women, develop trust. Black women put up a wall that can only break down one black at a time. Once that wall is down that woman will always be down for you.

Helen, Black women don't make it a race issue. Way before it was popular for white women to date black men, whites are the ones who had made it about about race.

Tyra, why does it have to be about "finding a good black man"? "White women" don't say "where are all the good white men" SO why does it have to be about race! A good guy is a good guy! Unless, you are looking for color. What is it with color? Personally I think black women make it a color issue.

Hey Tyra I really enjoyed your show the other day, however, it left me a bit confused and thinking when it was over. The comments about black women having trouble finding good decent black men....i mean why does it have to be about finding a good "black" man...why cant it be about finding a decent good "man" period. why does a woman have to be compared to women of another race....? why cant she enjoy blonde hair just because, why do thoughts such as the fact that she's "selling out" have to even come to mind. I suppose in the end, i dont understand why it cant be more of our nature as people to see eachother as individuals all special in their own way, why does race have to be the #1 thing seen, why cant it be that we fall in love with individuals no matter skin color.???? and be the individuals all equal, special in our own way no matter the skin color?

Tyra, I was truly inspired by your Black Women's Summit. We are more than what we have been labeled and catergorized as women and race. God gave us all free will. To the viewers, we learned how to judge others from our culture, belief system, enviroment, and experience. Collectively, we have bought into an offensive thought process (self hatered) which came from the Willie Lynch syndrome that has lasted well over 400 years. It is time for a new consciousness to arise. If one is attracted to some one who is out side of their norm, & there is chemistry, one who is attentive, and one who goes the extra mile to make sure that the others needs are being met on equal ground, who cares. Do not take it personally. There are a lot of denied fellings many are holding, shame, blame, jealousy, and denial to name a few. One would have to ask one's self which catagory do you I fall into and examine their own personal situation. In the event they do not like their reality, guess what, they have the oppurtunity to change it. Tyra, Thank you for having a forum that is for the betterment of the collective. Any person who is opinionated about one group, need not to group all as the same. Judgement is limitation. A lot of this is ego driven, and that will only will cause division. The ego has to always be right. No other one is better than the other. Once you are aware of who, what and where you are in life, it does not matter. If any person want to wear their hair a certain way or date a person outside their ethnicity, it does not make that person less than, until the person judging belittle's another.