Social media erupts over Eboni K. Williams’ ‘MRS degree’ comments

Williams advised family-focused college students to prioritize marriage while they’re still young.

Eboni K. Williams has social media in a frenzy over comments she made on her show regarding the “MRS degree” phenomenon that has everyone talking. 

In the now-viral clip from Wednesday’s episode of “TheGrio News with Eboni K. Williams,” the host broke down a TikTok video showing white female college students showing off engagement rings while at their graduations, in a phenomenon nicknamed the “MRS degree.”

Williams said on her show that as Black women, “marriage and partnership market value” depreciates with every passing year. She then urged young Black women, particularly those who want and are seeking marriage in their lives, to consider actively pursuing it during or right after their college years, as opposed to waiting it out.

Williams, who is single and has been open about her desire to be a mother, shared her own advice: “If you are a young Black woman in college and you know in your heart and in your head that you want to prioritize family, I suggest that you simultaneously pursue that MRS degree right along with that BA or JD.”

The viral clip, which only included Williams’ statements, seems to have people split online, with some agreeing with her opinion and others pushing back.

In the Instagram reel, which has over 150K views and counting, host of “The Scottie & Sylvia Show” Scottie Beam simply commented, “How are we not tired of this??????” while writer and podcaster Ty Alexander wrote, “Can we also stop putting all these responsibilities on women? It’s an extremely archaic topic. Fix the pool of men. And it’s start with how we raise our young boys.”

Social media director and journalist Jerome Trammell commented on the clip that was reposted to The Shade Room, likening Williams’ comments to those made by Kevin Samuels, writing, “It still doesn’t solve the problem, it’s 1 man for every 7 women and there was NO ACCOUNTABILITY put on men for them to step up and do better.” Openly bisexual comedian Jay Jurden quipped in the comments, “Straights are struggling over there y’all.”

On the original post, Williams herself responded to a comment, urging commenters to watch the full segment for context. “This take is ONLY for Black women that deeply desire a ring/marriage and want to assess the optimum time for the MOST options,” she wrote. “This is only for women that hold an intrinsic value for marriage to a man of similar social standing. Y’all be sure to watch the entire statement and not run off with a headline.”

In full context, the segment included a conversation between Williams and Dr. Anjerrika Bean, assistant director at the Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership at Howard University, regarding the conversation and the differing priorities and responsibilities that Black women generally have compared to their white counterparts. Citing popular pieces of advice given to Black women like, “go to school,” “don’t get distracted,” and “be a good girl,” Bean emphasized that looking for a partner may not be top of mind like it is for white female college students. Check out the full segment below:

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