Meredith and Nakware have been together for seven years. As an interracial couple, they haven’t always felt accepted by some of their family members. As a result, in the beginning of their relationship, the couple was often excluded from holidays, family trips, or get-togethers.
“We lived in Chicago at the time and a friend of ours saw our struggle,” says Meredith. “Her family invited us to Easter and treated us like a part of their family – like one of their own kids coming home for the holidays.”
Their friends brought them to Easter mass and even got them Easter gifts. From then on, Meredith says that their friends made a point of inviting them over whenever they were unsure where to go on a holiday. “They opened their doors for any holiday where we were struggling to go home or not go home, and making us feel included in their home and family.”
Meredith and Nakware got married in June 2018. They say that their families have come a long way to understand and accept them. Many family members attended their wedding and were overwhelmed by the amount of support Meredith and Nakware received from their community of friends. “We all have more in common with each other than differences,” says Nakware, “and more than anything, everyone wants to see their family loved and taken care of.”
Although Meredith and Nakware are now more included in family events, they haven’t forgotten their friends’ support.
“We started our own tradition of hosting a Friendsgiving,” says Nakware. “That’s our way of letting everyone around us know that we love them, and we see them. It’s our opportunity to include people who might be going through a similar situation like we did with our family, and give them a place where they feel included.”
