At the intersection of Black History Month and a month dedicated to love is the history of Black Love 💕. Join Kanda Chocolates as we celebrate the history of Black Love 💕

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Black Love |  When friends become Lovers 💕

This image. It makes my heart swell. Angela smiling and Courtney gently kissing her cheek. This picture is just one of many that you'll find of them taking advantage of every moment to celebrate their love. And this is how they've been for 22 years of marriage.

Angela Bassett, famously known to us as "Tina Turner", "Stella" and "Queen Ramonda" met Courtney B. Vance, famously known to us as "D.A. Ron Carver", "Jonnie", and "George Freeman", waaayyy before they were famous at the Yale School of Drama. 

They were friends for almost a decade before they decided to go on a date.  

As Angela recounted on The Oprah Winfrey Show, "Dare I say it wasn't memorable," Basset said. "He just seemed like a really, really nice guy. Which translated to kind of boring. That was it. Wasn't gonna give him a second thought."

Somehow, and thankfully, they went on a 2nd date which is where their love began to blossom. In 1997, they married and the rest is history.

In 2007, they co-wrote Friends: A Love Story. "See how they've carved a meaningful life together in spite of humble beginnings, family tragedy and the ups and downs of stardom, with love, faith and determination," a synopsis of the book reads.

In 2018, they were interviewed by blackdoctor.org and left us some with beautiful pearls of wisdom:

"Nobody taught me how to be married or how to really love a wife. I’ve learned that the Lord wants a relationship with you, me, and with all of us. I had to learn that when the Queen is happy, the land is happy. The man may be the head, but the head doesn’t go anywhere without the neck telling it which way to turn it," Vance said.

And Bassett about Vance?

“I want what I want, he wants what he wants and sometimes they’re not the same, but we’ve learned how to negotiate to make each other happy and fulfill our dreams and desires,” she explained. “He makes me a better person. He lets me be me and do me. He is a great support person for anyone.”

And with this example of unfiltered, faith-based, and humble love, we celebrate Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance for being a shining example of Black Love today and everyday.