Matchmakers Made Them a Match

Madiba Keneisha Dennie and Nicholas Andrew Bishop both wanted serious relationships when they met in May 2017 through the matchmaking service Dating Ring. Ms. Dennie had been a member since early 2016, and Mr. Bishop joined in 2015. The now-defunct business entailed matchmakers interviewing singles in person to suggest the best potential partners.

“After a year of being a member, Nicholas was the first person I was matched with,” Ms. Dennie said. “The matchmaker said that he was a feminist and working at a startup to repurpose old laptops for schools. He was someone who cared about the world like me.”

“I hadn’t clicked with anyone,” Mr. Bishop said of other women he’d been set up with. “The matchmaker told me that Madiba and I had a shared interest in science fiction and in helping people. That grabbed my interest.”

They messaged through Dating Ring’s site for a few days before Mr. Bishop asked Ms. Dennie for a coffee date. They met the afternoon of May 25 at Think Coffee near Manhattan’s Washington Square Park, a halfway point between their offices.

Ms. Dennie walked in to find Mr. Bishop waiting for her and said she noticed “how cute” he was. “He had a big smile,” she said.

It didn’t take long for the two to decide they liked each other. They fell into a long conversation about their professions, their similar upbringings in rural areas, and their shared passion for social justice.