Yet again, bigotry strikes another blow against a post-racial America thanks to a Louisiana justice of the peace who refuses to marry interracial couples. It’s an appalling tale of a bigoted man acting as judge and jury for interracial couples and denying them the right to marry because of his personal and bigoted beliefs. No, this is not a story from the 1960s or 1800s. No, this is a story that is quite real and very current.
This is from a recent Associated Press story:
Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in the southeastern part of the state, refused to issue a marriage license earlier this month to Beth Humphrey, who is white, and Terence McKay, who is black. His refusal has prompted calls for an investigation or resignation from civil and constitutional rights groups and the state’s Legislative Black Caucus.
Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement a nine-member commission that reviews lawyers and judges in the state should investigate.
“Disciplinary action should be taken immediately — including the revoking of his license,” Jindal said.
Gov. Jindal and other Louisiana politicians, including Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, have come out and issued strong statements denouncing this kind of conduct (conduct that is a throwback to a period in this nation’s history that most of us would love to forget). This is not and should not be a political issue. The ignorance through which this man speaks is nothing short of staggering when you really think about it. He acts as if he is the ultimate authority on such matters (as you will read below).
More on the background of this story from AP:
Bardwell has said he always asks if a couple is interracial and, if they are, refers them to another justice of the peace. Bardwell said no one had complained in the past and he doesn’t marry the couples because he’s worried about their children’s futures.
“Perhaps he’s worried the kids will grow up and be president,” said Bill Quigley, director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and Justice, referring to President Barack Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas.
This does not seem to be about interracial kids.
The number of biracial children who grow up and do good things and great things is impossible to calculate.
This man, letting his personal race-related biases prompt him to discriminate against couples seeking marriage, is a pitiful relic of an era that in many ways is best forgotten and cemented in the past.
It is gratifying to see and hear politicians from both sides of the political aisle speaking out strongly against this kind of racial bigotry.
Many people thought this battle had already been fought.
From CNN:
The U.S. Supreme Court tossed out any racially based limitations on marriage in the landmark 1967 Loving v. Virginia case. In the unanimous decision, the court said that “Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the state.”
Here is an interesting comment from the CNN article:
“I’m not a racist,” Bardwell told the newspaper. “I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.”
TRANSLATION EQUIVALENCE: I am not racist … I have black friends.
From an earlier AP story:
“I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house,” Bardwell said. “My main concern is for the children.”
Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.
“I don’t do interracial marriages because I don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves,” Bardwell said. “In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer.”
If he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.
“I try to treat everyone equally,” he said.
Is this a legitimate defense/justification in this man’s small mind? Is he saying because he discriminates against all interracial couples it’s OK? This is beyond ignorant.
To learn more about this disturbing story, check out one of the latest Associated Press stories:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/15/national/a124653D11.DTL&type=printable
