A healthy and loving relationship is something most people want but not everyone is able to have. Some argue it’s difficult to attain because the dating pool has pee in it, while others have had luck finding their match. Wherever you stand though, people seldom get tired of hearing about successful love stories and getting relationship advice from the individuals in them.
At the 2023 ESSENCE Festival, we caught up with four long-term Black couples who are happily in love. One couple grew up together and have been dating for three years, while another have 38 years under their belt. The pairs also all have different circumstances to navigate, ranging from being married to navigating blended families.
When asked what relationship advice they would give to people aspiring to find love, Julius Davis, who has been married to his wife Shante Clark-Davis for 24 years (they’ve been together for 26) shared solid insight for other men out there.
“Make sure you always have great communication skills with your wife. And as men, we kind of fall short of meeting our wives emotional needs. So we gotta kind of figure out how to open up that vulnerable side of us and make sure we meet their needs emotionally,” he advised.
Kayla Martin, in a relationship with her childhood BFF for three years and counting, gave sound advice about following your own timeline.
“Saying that this should happen at this time, this should happen at this time, really, you don't want to rush anything," she said. "You don't want to be running off anyone else's timeline, but God.”
Watch the video above to hear more nuggets from these beautiful couples, from the best and worst advice they've received, to the stories of how they met and more. They all remind us that Black love is still alive and well.