The man pictured above may not be famous but his 15 seconds of fame has made him infamous. His name is Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace in Louisiana. How did a simple justice of the peace get on the news and kicked off my island? Mr. Bardwell denied the marriage between Beth Humphrey and her boyfriend Terence McKay. Why would he do such a thing? Well it seems that Mr. Bardwell is not a fan of the "melting pot." He denied the marriage because Ms. Humphrey is a white female and Terence McKay is a black male. His reasoning for denying the couple was purely based on race. During a recent Associated Press interview Mr. Bardwell stated he would not marry the couple because in his opinion mixed marriages do not last and the kids of the marriage suffer. He is voted off my island because his racism is hindering his judgment. He is a public servant with guidelines to follow, these guidelines state that with the proper money and papers he is to marry anyone regardless of race. He defends his racist stance by claiming he has seen mixed marriages divorce faster than non-mixed marriages. There is no evidence his opinion is valid, according to divorcerate.org the national average is 50% across the board, regardless of race. Mr. Bardwell claims he is not a racist, in a recent CNN interview he went on to say he has "piles of black friends and lets them use the bathroom of his home." That is the equivalent of someone saying "I'm not a racist I have a black friend." His racist way of thinking and separatist outlook have no place on my island. Much like a president should not be judged on the color of his skin, the decision of who to marry should not be based on race either. Mr. Bardwell is perpetuating the stereotype that the south is racist and playing God, deciding who and who should not be married to each other.
If we allow our public servants to decide who should be married based on race we are destroying the work of the civil rights movement. We are destroying the work of the Freedom Riders, thousands of activists, historical figures like Ceasar Chavez, Rosa Parks and Stokely Carmichael. What Mr. Bardwell is doing is akin to the old south Jim Crow laws and the laws against interracial relations that put people like world boxing champion Jack Johnson behind bars for traveling with his white wife. On my island and in the world around it there is no place for racism. Being born a certain color is as much your choice as being born handicapped is. Racism will never die if we allow people like Mr. Bardwell to have a voice in decisions that affect the public.
This is very well written, and a very good argument that I completely agree with. What Mr. Baldwell did is against human rights, and it is destroying the civil rights that so many fought for. He should not have been allowed to have make that type of decision.
ReplyDeleteI too have been outraged by this news. When I read about how he let's his black friends use the bathroom I thought we had gone back in time sixty years. My biggest question is how long has this person denied to marry couples before it hit the news? I mean who stopped other couples from going public?
ReplyDeleteHi David!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good example of a celebrity to vote off your island. This is absoluty crazy that people think they have the right, or any say for that matter on interracial marriages. People have the right and freedom to do what they please and what makes them happy. Good for them! Good job David!
Wow, you just educated me on this story. I never heard of it that is terrible. I wonder why this was not a huge thing in the news or maybe I have not noticed because I have been studying for mid-terms.
ReplyDeleteHi david!This is ridiculous!this shows that resism still there in this country.He is alsoo voted off my island.I can beleive he did no want these two couple to get married.This is too much.But God is watching.good job david.
ReplyDelete"Being born a certain color is as much your choice as being born handicapped is."
ReplyDeleteWell said David.