This chapter explores how 15 contemporary heterosexual middle and professional-class African American couples with young children define and expresses gender equality in their relationships. It considers how the social context of individualized racism shapes these processes at the level of couple interaction. Most early research on African American families focused on their deficits, using the standards of the dominant culture to suggest that these families were disorganized, deprived, and deficient. Many African American couples are adept at sharing the load and accessing individual, interpersonal, and social resources to address these challenges. Racial inequalities in the larger society are an important reason that couples pull together. Several African American wives expressed a sense of relational anxiety, fear that their husbands would just walk out on them. Religion plays a central role in many African American families and has historically been an important source of strength and resilience.