A common misconception that I often hear from (mostly) black people is that somehow having the same skin color automatically means you will enjoy a shared cultural experience with your partner. Magical thinking makes folks believe all things will fall into place via osmosis or iTunes download just because the two of you are brown. Nope. While there’s a whole continent that share our hue, the similarities with African American culture begin and end there. African and even West Indian culture is markedly different, and many of these people have certain stereotypes that if a relationship is to be forged, must be overcome.