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On Friday, the Internet brought forth this lovely article, making some believe it was 1967:
Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License in LA
Judge Keith Bardwell will not marry interracial couples “out of concern for any children the couple might have”. Bardwell also told the Associated Press, ” I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way… I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.”
Wow. On the bright side, this publicity has caused many in Louisiana, including Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, to call for Bardwell’s dismissal. Bardwell is an elected official, and must follow state and Federal laws, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race. In 1967, the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia:
Marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man,” fundamental to our very existence and survival… The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. 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.
I quote this because I’ve read comments asking why priests and pastors can refuse to marry people, while Justices of the Peace cannot.
Bardwell implies that the divorce rate is higher for different-race marriages than for same-race marriages. Unfortunately, divorce statistics simply aren’t kept at that level. The media always reports that the divorce rate is about 50%. However, there really isn’t any hard data. The CDC reports that there are 7.1 marriages and 3.5 divorces for every 1,000 people, based on responses from 44 states and DC (Louisiana isn’t one of them). An NHS 1998 report on marriage and cohabitation indicated that same-race marriages had a 31% chance of divorce, while different-race marriages had a 41% chance of divorce, but that’s over 10 years ago. I also believe that’s within the margin of error, but it’s been a long time since I took statistics.
Bardwell said that “he doesn’t marry the couples because he’s worried about their children’s futures” because neither white nor black society “accepts” the children. Yes, Americans have such a problem accepting biracial people that we elected one President.*
If you have to say the words, “I’m not racist” in response to something you’ve said or done, chances are, You Are Racist. Own up to it, seek help, and move towards enlightenment.
(* My friend Chandra said this first.)
Photo Credit: Ken Tillis, CNN
I work in a very diverse place. And often there lots of parents talking about this. Usually brought up when someone has a child dating someone from another race, which is normal and not at all out of the ordinary here. While many non-racist people of all races acknowledge the difficulties, admit that they aren’t so thrilled or have worries about it in thier own family, they don’t refuse the relationshp, or the marriage.
Bardwell needs to do his job, no matter what his personal beliefs are.