Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish, recently refused to grant a marriage to a man and woman. His only reason - they are an interracial couple. And he admits doing this several times before.
Wow. It just hits me hard. A supposed member of the Court, sworn to uphold the laws of the State and the nation, blatantly and without remorse is breaking the law. Because he doesn't agree with a racial issue that has nothing to do with him and should not be an issue. And he has been a judge for 34 years.
In all that time this officer of the court has been violating the rights of couples by asking about their races, and refusing to marry those that don't conform to his standards. That's breaking a law that's older than I am, and has been in effect long before he became a justice of the peace. But Justice Bardwell does not consider himself a bigot or racist. Because he has "piles and piles of Black friends".
Stepping away from the thought that I have never refered to the number of friends, or even enemies, I have as piles (or what imagery that might imply). Judge Bardwell has the audacity to claim that he is fair and treats everyone equal. Imagine that.
How equal can any man or woman be to another if on the basis of the color of their skin, and that alone, Justice Bardwell treats them differently? How is that not biased? And one must ask how else this racial prejudice have come out in his legal actions?
I will give Justice Bardwell this, he is open about his prejudice. But as the saying goes
"If you can see one roach, there are a thousand others you cannot."
What really upsets me is that I just wrote about the prejudice of France and Australia. How I just reprimanded both countries for not being in the 21st Century. Because I had forgotten for a moment about the death threats that were given to the Black college football player who proposed to his White girlfriend on national television (they since got happily married). I forgot about the systemic bias in the police across the nation, as clearly defined by the murder of Oscar Grant and Adolph Grimes as well as the shooting of Robbie Tolan. And there are a host of other examples from this year alone, never mind going back several.
This is not a case of some made up racism, like the accusations that stood before Rush Limbaugh. This is not some kind of political accusation meant to deflect any criticism or question of policy, as is being used by Democrats. This is the real racism that runs through the nation, altering what we see on television and movies, reinforcing stereotypes, and affecting the lives of millions both subtly and occasionally obviously.
When we get to see moments of racial bias in the light of day as this has, it makes me ask yet again - How far have we really come?
2 comments:
Comment as found at Black and White blog, where I am co-author.
Tom Simmons Says:
October 18th, 2009 at 5:11 pm e
Dear BE USA,
I was a teenager, living in the southern Bible Belt, during the 50’s. The segregation of the Central High School, in Little Rock, happened the year after I graduated from high school.
I haven’t done any research re: the Louisiana JP, so I don’t know how old he is, and I am certainly not condoning his position on the marriage of mixed races, but I can shed a little light on why he thinks like he does.
During the years of DEEP racism in our country, if you lived in the “rebel” south, and you could honestly state that you had several or many black friends, you were labeled a “N” lover and faced reverse racism. As such, you might consider yourself as a non-racist.
This was the fact of many such people so many years ago. My father was such a person. He would declare that he was not a racist, yet he would keep the “black” man in his “place.” Unfortunate, detestable, and destructible, but true!
During the later years of this same time frame, you could begin to see mixed couples and once in a while a mixed marriage (usually the marriage had taken place at some location in the North).
Then the offspring. It was terrible! The life those children had in the South was pathetic. For the most part they were total outcasts, loved only by their parents. They were “unacceptable” by both blacks and whites. They had no turf.
How were the aware and empathetic to deal with this? The only clearly acceptable method seemed to be… deny them marriage! This they did, and this some of them still do. Right? Wrong? It was wrong then, it’s wrong today, and it’ll be wrong tomorrow,but this is the reasoning.
By and large, I think that these folks do not consider themselves to be racists, but rather they are simply still trying to obviate that which they consider to be cruel and unjust.
“How Far Have We Come?” From my point of view, A LONG WAYS. True, we’ve a ways to go, but we’re getting there. Believe me, the people of authority who are permitted the privilege of joining folks together in Holy Matrimony, who think like the Louisianan Justice of the Peace, are fewer all time. Fifty years ago they were in the majority, but now they are most certainly in the small minority.
Continue in your pursuit of equality, but please realize that you/we are gaining. Today we are the majority!
Thanks,
tws7436
Tom,
Black Entertainment USA is another of the blogs that I, Michael Vass, own and write to. I occasionally use the hyperlink above to improve Search Engine Optimization, and to identify subjects found on that blog as opoosed to my more political blog VASS.
As for your observations, the Justice did in fact agree with you.
But it is not enough for this reasoning to exist. It is not enough that such thoughts are in the possesion of fewer people. Especially when those people hold positions of influence.
Only through open discussion can we reach a point where we do not have to accept gains, as we will have the equality of respect and justice. Anything less, while better than the past ignorance and hate, is still just a compromise and insult.
You would expect no less, as you should. I expect no less, and strive to make that the default of the nation. Together we may make that a reality.
Thank you for your comment. I hope that one day, neither my post or your comments will be necessary. I hope and am working towards a day when all of this will be replaced by the mutual respect and understanding all human beings deserve.
Post a Comment