“Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License”

by Katie Schaarschmidt

Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana, refused to issue a marriage license to interracial couple Beth Humphrey, 30 and Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, LA. In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Bardwell said, "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way."

He told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith, "I've had countless numbers of people that was born in that situation, and that they claim that the blacks or the whites didn't accept the children. And I didn't want to put the children in that position. 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 said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

Humphrey was shocked at the denial and McKay Commented, "He's not going to marry us because you’re black, and I'm white. ... It's 2009."

Humphrey and McKay were wed by another justice of the peace in the same parish on October 9. According to Humphrey, they have obtained a lawyer and are considering further legal action.

"We would like him to resign," Beth McKay said. "He doesn't believe he's being racist, but it is racist."

"The law says that I cannot deny mixed race marriages," Bardwell said. "And that means prevent them from getting married. And I did not prevent them getting married." He said his wife referred the couple to another justice of the peace.

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them. During his 30 year career, Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four different couples, all within the past 2 1/2 years.

Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal commented Friday, "This is a clear violation of constitutional rights and federal and state law. ... disciplinary action should be taken immediately -- including the revoking of his license."

Bardwell’s response was that he doesn’t have a license. "I'm an elected official," he said. "So he quite didn't know what he was talking about by losing my license."

On October 18, the National Urban League of Greater New Orleans released this statement on Justice's Refusal to Marry Interracial Couple.

"In light of the erroneous statement by the Louisiana Justice Keith Bardwell, who seems to be unaware of the U.S. Constitution, we are asking the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to conduct an immediate investigation into the civil rights violation by Justice Keith Bardwell's refusal to marry an interracial couple. This is a huge step backward in social justice and must not be tolerated."

Other organizations calling for Bardwell’s resignation are the American Civil Liberties Union in Louisiana, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Justice and the Hammond chapter of the NAACP.


Opinion “ Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License”
by Katie Schaarschmidt

If Bardwell’s conclusion is correct and “most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society” would it be the appropriate course of action to try to prevent the possibility of the offspring of “such relationships?”

According to an article by Kelly N. Burrello of Diversity Training Group, “ugly slurs like ‘Oreo,’ ‘half-breed,’ and ‘mutt’ are often used. Many biracial children are pressured by their peers to choose one race and stay with it. They might be encouraged to ‘hang black,’ ‘go white,’ ‘kick it Latino,’ or ‘roll Asian.’ In extreme cases, there are reports of mixed race children being slung into lockers, or beaten up in school bathrooms or parking lots because they do not conform to a single racial identity. The homes of interracial families have reportedly been targets of hate crimes by members of their communities who do not accept mixed race households.”

One could argue that perhaps the issue lies not in the racial genealogy of the child, but in these sects of society who choose not to accept these children. Surely the outcome of the previous presidential election gives some insight to the general public’s opinion of mixed race children. Since Americans have elected Barack Obama, a person of mixed race, as President, how can Bardwell justify his claim that mixed race children are generally not accepted by either culture? Lets take a vote!

As of the 2000 census, Tangipahoa Parish is 70 percent white and 30 percent black. Less than one percent are of mixed race. Thirty years ago, only one in every 100 children born in the United States was of mixed race. Today that number is one in 19. In states like California and Washington it's closer to one in 10 (Newsweek, May 8, 2000). My advice to the newly weds is to move on to a more culturally diverse area of the country.

In 1997 Interface, a magazine which targets interracial couples conducted a poll, "Best & Worst Cities To Live," with its readers and found the top ten cities for interracial couples (ranked in order of preference):

1. Montclair, NJ
2. San Jose, CA
3. Denver, CO
4. San Diego, CA
5. Washington, DC
6. Seattle, WA
7. Minneapolis, MN
8. Madison, MN
9. Oakland, CA
10. Columbus, OH