Interracial Marriage

In class right now we are studying race and religion. A piece of what we are learning right now is instances of African Americans not having equal rights in this country. It is easy to think of these situations as stories in a history book because they seem so distant as were learn about them. What really make the story of racism in Louisiana come to life are the things that happen in modern times. This also shows how not every one is completely in agreement with integration which still ties back to racism. I discovered an article about a Justice of the Peace in Louisiana, specifically Tangipahoa Parish, by the name of Keith Bardwell who will not allow interracial couples to be married, nor will he give them their marriage certificate. He claims, “I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way.” He then begins to say that he will gladly marry a same race couple whether they are black or white. Keith Bardwell also said, “most interracial marriages do not last long.” He then begins to talk about how once the couple decides to have a child involved, then neither of the families will “accept” the interracial child. Bardwell says that he is stopping those children from “suffering” by not allowing them to be married in the first place. As we all know, the government cannot stop people from being married solely on the reasoning that they are an interracial couple. It is just sad to see how even today people in governmental positions are trying to stop those of a different race marry. In his interview he says he is “not a racist.” However, this still gives the idea to the public that it is not acceptable for races to intermarry which gives off the belief that one race is better than the other which is by definition racism. 


Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/interracial-couple-denied_n_322784.html