EnterRacial
[tweetmeme source="Wuzhatnin_com" alias="http://bit.ly/9V6Ipw"]In an act that reeks of bizarro world protocol, Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana refused to issue a marriage license to interracial couple Beth Humphrey, who is white, and Terence McKay, who is black. Humphrey and McKay were dumbstruck at the news. When they asked why he refused Bardwell said, “I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way.” Then he added, “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.”
On the surface this seems like a textbook case of racism but it is obvious that a man that allows black people to enter his home by the pile and use his bathroom, is no racist. So having eliminated this as a possible explanation, one must assume there is another reason that people of different races should not marry. For the answer to this question, we return to erstwhile esteemed Mr. Keith Bardwell. Bardwell says he believes it causes unnecessary strife on the children of such unions. “There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage,” Bardwell said. “I think those children suffer and I won’t help put them through it.” Bardwell then adds, that after discussing it with both blacks and whites, and having witnessed some interracial marriages, he concluded that most blacks do not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither do whites. For this reason Bardwell continues, he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he refers them to another justice of the peace because if he did it for one couple, he would have to do it for them all.
“Perhaps he’s worried the kids will grow up and be president,” said Bill Quigley, director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and Justice. He said, “Racial discrimination has been a violation of Louisiana and U.S. law for decades. No public official has the right to pick and choose which laws they are going to follow.”
The ACLU on Thursday said Keith Bardwell should quit immediately and asked the Louisiana Judiciary Commission to investigate Bardwell. These commission proceedings are held in private. If the commission recommends action to the Louisiana Supreme Court, the becomes a matter of public record. Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess said Bardwell’s personal views were not those of the local government but added, “I am certainly very disappointed that anyone representing the people of Tangipahoa Parish, particularly an elected official, would take such a divisive stand.” “I would hope that Mr. Bardwell would consider offering his resignation if he is unable to serve all of the people of his district and our parish.”
This is the kind of story that will give you a surreal feeling that says, “This can’t be happening today. Not in the year 2009.” When you have a black president in the white house, people tend to relax and make assumptions about how progressive individuals will be, as opposed to communities. It is very easy to become complacent. Little strongholds of bigotry remain. What we need is for more people to think critically about their principles and how they were raised. Simply having been taught to believe something is not proof that it is correct or more importantly, that it is not destructive. These kind of rural, small town situations are charming and have many advantages over big city life. The main disadvantage is the pressure placed on each person to embrace the ideals of the community. When racist ideas persist, people are pressured to accept those ideals as well.
Being a good person does not mean living up to the ideals of the community, it means living up to your own ideals. For this to work, you must develop priorities of your own. It is fine to start with community or family ideals as a starting point but you should vet each of those ideals against your own personality, priorities, and life experience. If you find that people are still pressuring you to do things that you have found inconsistent with your priorities, you must take a stand. This was the process of Washington, Lincoln, King and anyone else who one day said “Enough, this must change now.” They could have simply gone along with the plan, but it would have been inconsistent with their priorities. The question is, if a guy like Keith Bardwell can serve as Justice of the Peace for years having admitted to turning away mixed couples in the past who wanted to marry, what does that say about the priorities and the people of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana?
Source and quotes: Associated Press
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