I disagree. To say culture plays no role in finding a mate is just plain ignorant. Culture plays a role in partner selection with many different cultures (Indian, Chinese, Jewish, Korean, etc), to say it has no effect in American culture, black or white, is preposterous.
Black “culture” is going through an identity crisis. An example of these differences manifested at the beginning of the Obama campaign with “Is he black enough?” It seems that black culture in trying to not be white is screwing itself when it comes to education, crime, family, and marriage. Some in the black community (Cosby is the most notable) point out these cultural values are good because they are beneficial not because they are white values. Poverty and racism are always given as the reasons why blacks can’t get ahead and to say culture plays a role is taboo. Yet there are many groups such as immigrants (Hispanic, Asian, Indian) that come here poor, uneducated, and are not white and yet many of them and their children become financially successful, obviously it is not solely a poverty issue.
To dismiss culture so readily show me that you truly do not understand how social systems and social institutions work.