Interracial Couple Denied

Being from Louisiana, I hear a lot of things that make me ashamed to say that I'm from this state but today...hearing about the couple that was told by a Justice of the court in Tangipahoa Parish that he wouldn't marry them because they were an interracial couple shocked me.


Keith Bardwell said that his reasoning for turning them away is because in his experience interracial marriages do not last as long. He also feels that children born of an interracial union are going to have problems being accepted by both the black and white race and that he won't put them through that kind of pain.



Even though I don't agree with him breaking the law because that is what he did by refusing to marry this couple and others, I can understand why he was hesitant. We all need to be 100% honest about the times that we live in. Even though this is 2009 and not 1909, racism is still very much alive. Children that are bi-racial or "mixed" as they're called are often teased and left out or bullied. Sometimes adults can even be the targets of hate because of the simple fact that they're the result of a mixed union.


What I do NOT understand is that in this state, how someone can feel that way? Louisiana is, in my opinion, the ULTIMATE example of a melting pot. If you poll the people down here you will find that people are mixed with at least 3 or 4 different races. Cajuns, Creole, Haitians French, Native American, Spanish, African American, White, German, Welsh, Scottish, Italian, Dutch, Greek, Hispanic American and Asian Americans: all of these races have been strong forces in this state all throughout our entire history. We ALL are, as some people say, "mutts". I for one am Native American and African American on my mother's side but French, White and African American on my father's side and ya know what? If people only look at me, I look 100% black but I'm proud of every race that's inside of me.

We all should let people do what they want when it comes to who they date or marry and reproduce with because at the end of the day: our opinions and feelings on the issue don't matter and we don't have to live with it: they do. I see no issue with interracial relationships because even though I know my family would love for me to marry a black man, they've always made sure that I knew they would love and respect which ever man I decided I wanted to give my heart to because at the end of the day: the heart chooses who it wants to love and it doesn't care about race or even gender. All the heart knows is love.