Interracial marriage at issue again

Category: National

More than 40 years after the end of the Civil Rights Movement, the American public appears somewhat devoid of negative racial sentiment. More recently, the election of President Barack Obama, the first African-American man to hold that office, supports the idea that Americans may finally understand the meaning of equality.

However, that was not the case earlier this month in Tangipahoa Parish just outside New Orleans, where Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell refused to marry an interracial couple.

Beth Humphrey, 30, and Terence McKay, 32, decided to marry elsewhere and have since hired a private lawyer and filed a discrimination lawsuit against the judge. Additionally, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has insisted on an official investigation by the state’s Judicial Commission to have the judge dismissed from his gubernatorial-appointed position.

“What has come out of [this] is a clear signal that [Bardwell's] attitudes are no longer acceptable, and that [the younger generation] expects and demands better,” said Marjorie R. Esman, executive director of the Louisiana chapter of the ACLU.

Despite the overwhelming outrage and calls for his resignation, Bardwell has refused to step down.

“He’s not stepping down because he believes he hasn’t done anything wrong,” said Zach Schreiber, president of Tulane University’s chapter of the ACLU. “He was brought up by his parents, and they have the same values. His parents have taught him this, and no one has taught him any differently.”

Bardwell’s actions have served as a reminder that racism and bigotry still exist, said Danatus N. King, president of the New Orleans branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Despite these claims, the judge has asserted that he is not a racist, and he stands by his actions.

Humphrey and McKay were not the first couple to whom Justice Bardwell denied a marriage license. In his 34 years as a judge, Bardwell estimates he has refused to marry about four interracial couples, all in the past 2 1/2 years. He believes that children from these couples would not fit into either race’s societal structures and would, therefore, suffer.

“What he has done and has done several times is a racist act,” Schreiber said. “He’s a government official, although I’m sure his constituents don’t care. There are problems with Louisiana, especially in the parishes outside of big cities, with racism. I don’t know all about that parish, but if they did care about what was going on, I would believe that there would be some sort of action taken against him.”

Esman acknowledged the racial differences and issues that linger in Louisiana but also spoke of the public’s ability to recognize “that it’s not supposed to be that way.” Aside from affirming that Bardwell’s actions were illegally improper, Esman believed the judge’s concerns were unjustified.

“Even if his concerns are justified, he doesn’t have the authority to impose his judgments on children that don’t exist yet,” she said. “He doesn’t make those determinations on anyone else. It’s patently ridiculous to say that children of mixed race don’t succeed, when obviously the president [has].”