Two years ago, The OBSERVER profiled four area couples, exploring their personal relationships and perspectives on the power of Black love. The stories were presented in observance of Valentine’s Day and Black History Month. A lot has transpired since, both for these pairs and the world around them. We catch up with three of the four featured couples for an update on how they’re living and loving in 2026.
Keon Johnson and Teah Hairston-Johnson
They have a vibe. They are a vibe. Teah Hairston and Keon Johnson met at a local rally in 2018, protesting the police-involved shooting death of Stephon Clark, an unarmed Black man. Likeminded spirits and community-minded activists, they began dating and building a collective life. In addition to being parents and raising children together, the two are also doing their part to raise community consciousness and promote healing, she as the founder of the Black women’s wellness organization Be Love Holistic, and he as a youth mentor and host of men’s mental/physical wellness activities.
Hairston and Johnson had been together for six years when they participated in The OBSERVER’s “Relationship Goals” series. Johnson referred to their status as “married-to-be” and vowed to “put a ring on it.”
Eight months later, he made good on that and married his soulmate in an African-centered wedding ceremony. They frequently host African drum circles and post videos online encouraging folks to be strong of mind and body. They still enjoy date nights without the little ones.
“The biggest update is we are expecting our third baby together, the sixth addition to our blended family,” Hairston-Johnson says. “Other than that we are still ‘in community’ keeping the vibrations high.”
DeAngelo Mack and Dr. Shani Buggs
Throughout their dating life, DeAngelo Mack and Dr. Shani Buggs have been each other’s safe space. Although they’ve had different titles, they share a similar passion for helping the community learn from, and heal from, trauma and violence.
Mack credits his partner for holding him up through difficult times. He lost his job in 2025, due to widespread cuts to health equity funding. He stepped out on faith and embarked on a new opportunity, exploring and making a business out of his love of nature and photography.
“Our relationship has just grown deeper since the interview,” Mack says of the original “Relationship Goals” story.
Mack also has been vocal about learning to deal with his own mental well-being, sharing his truth in The OBSERVER’s award-winning 2024 series, “Head Space: Exploring the Mental Health Needs of Today’s Black Men.”
“I continue to grow and evolve in my understanding of the liberation I have to be myself and to be loved for being my authentic self,” Mack says. “This relationship has helped me understand that we can do nothing completely successfully until we first love ourselves. To have the spaciousness to explore this type of love and have the support of your partner is a beautiful agent in the success of a healthy relationship.”
While the couple enjoys the autonomy of separate spaces, their bond is solid. Mack readily expresses his deep feelings for Dr. Buggs.
“I love that woman more every day for being my most consistent, reciprocal relationship.”
Keith Johnson and Phyllis McDonald Johnson
Big things have happened for Keith Johnson and his wife of nearly 40 years, Phyllis McDonald Johnson, since 2024. And they’ve got the receipts, literally. They welcomed their first grandchild and quickly put him to work in what has become the family business.
You can now find them together most days working at the Grocery Outlet store they opened in 2025, building it into something their family — and the wider community — can be proud of.
“Building this store together has affirmed that our calling extends beyond business,” Johnson says. “We believe God entrusted us with this space to serve, uplift and provide for our community and walking in that calling side by side has drawn us closer than ever. Each door we open, each family we serve and each challenge we overcome reinforces that love deepens when it is rooted in faith and shared purpose.”
McDonald Johnson adds to that sentiment: “Opening our grocery store has strengthened our marriage in ways only God could have prepared us for. As a Black married couple, stepping into entrepreneurship required us to trust not only each other, but the purpose God placed on our union. The long days, hard conversations and moments of uncertainty pushed us to pray together more intentionally, to listen more closely and to lean on faith when our own strength fell short.”
The couple recently was recognized by the California Black Chamber of Commerce and the California Legislative Black Caucus.
“Our store stands as a testimony not only to Black entrepreneurship, but to what is possible when marriage, mission and faith are aligned,” Johnson says.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To read Genoa Barrow’s previous “Relationship Goals” stories and see related photos and videos by Louis Bryant III, visit sacobserver.com/relationship-goals-sharing-black-love-stories.