Keith Bardwell has black friends...but not over here!
Civil rights advocates-MOUNT UP!
Justice Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Upon calling his office, Beth Humphrey was ASKED if the license was for an interracial marriage because Bardwell does NOT sign off on them. In response, Bardwell said "I'm not racist. I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children." He further commented that his concern for children born of this "type" of marriage is because it is his belief that most interracial marriages do not last.
Terence McKay and Beth Humphrey have hired an attorney to find out what their next steps are, and the NAACP chapter is forwarding this case to their state and national chapters.
Keith Bardwell, an elected official, says he will not perform these marriages and he doesn't care WHAT THE LAW SAYS. So, Judge Bardwell-you are placing yourself ABOVE the law? Is this correct? Well yes, because as he states "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way. I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."
So-it seems that Terence and Beth may have a long road, but they really just want to enjoy their life together. All the best. In the meantime, should this man really be allowed to STILL serve as a Justice of Peace???
As you can probably guess, petitions are forming online as we speak.
You can sign a letter at http://www.change.org/ that will go to the proper Louisiana representative. That letter can be found HERE.
The petition site is demanding the civil rights be upheld in Louisiana. Their petition is HERE.
If you think your local NAACP chapter should be doing something to yield their support in this matter, you can find the nearest chapter HERE.
Any thoughts from the Friends' will be posted as they come in. Pass this story along. Jim Crow is very much alive and if you want to find him today, head on over to Tangipahoa Parish. We can't change the world over night, but many small changes will equal one big one. Let's go!
Posted on 10:40 AM by You Have Been TOLD and filed under
10-16-09 Keith Bardwell has black friends
| 4 Comments »
Justice Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Upon calling his office, Beth Humphrey was ASKED if the license was for an interracial marriage because Bardwell does NOT sign off on them. In response, Bardwell said "I'm not racist. I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children." He further commented that his concern for children born of this "type" of marriage is because it is his belief that most interracial marriages do not last.
Terence McKay and Beth Humphrey have hired an attorney to find out what their next steps are, and the NAACP chapter is forwarding this case to their state and national chapters.
Keith Bardwell, an elected official, says he will not perform these marriages and he doesn't care WHAT THE LAW SAYS. So, Judge Bardwell-you are placing yourself ABOVE the law? Is this correct? Well yes, because as he states "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way. I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."
So-it seems that Terence and Beth may have a long road, but they really just want to enjoy their life together. All the best. In the meantime, should this man really be allowed to STILL serve as a Justice of Peace???
As you can probably guess, petitions are forming online as we speak.
You can sign a letter at http://www.change.org/ that will go to the proper Louisiana representative. That letter can be found HERE.
The petition site is demanding the civil rights be upheld in Louisiana. Their petition is HERE.
If you think your local NAACP chapter should be doing something to yield their support in this matter, you can find the nearest chapter HERE.
Any thoughts from the Friends' will be posted as they come in. Pass this story along. Jim Crow is very much alive and if you want to find him today, head on over to Tangipahoa Parish. We can't change the world over night, but many small changes will equal one big one. Let's go!
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4 comments:
Two years ago, a jackass prosecutor from Jena, Louisiana (a few hours from Tangipahoa) tried to convince us that he was not racist when he indicted 6 black boys for assault with a deadly weapon, siting their tennis shoes as the deadly weapons. Not this jackass judge takes is upon himself to fly in the face of CLEARLY ESTABLISHED law. Way to go, Louisiana!
Lord this thing whole thing made me madder than a wet hen. So he won't marry an interracial couple because of the children they could have. Makes em sound like those kids would be deformed or something. Well, I thin I'm just dandy as an interracial child. And besides, that couple if they REALLY wanted to would have children anyways. But obviously they would rather have children while being married. What B.S.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/19/interracial.marriage/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
This fool STILL believes he hasn't done a thing wrong. Seriously?
This isn't just some jerk who landed a minister's license. This is a public official who knows the law. He knows the history, has probably read the arguments, understands the precedents.
There's got to be something else going on here. Maybe he wants to retire early and figures this is the quickest route to going down in flames and collecting his pension.
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