A church in Kentucky recently voted to bar couples in interracial marriages from joining its congregation. The vote came after the church told a member that his daughter and African fiance were no longer allowed to participate in church services. At a 40-person service, nine voted in favor of excluding interracial marriage, 6 voted against the measure, and 25 members abstained.
It is extremely disturbing that in 2011 interracial marriage is still a serious issue for some people. This woman and her fiance did nothing more than participate in church services, and yet members of the congregation felt upset enough to actually vote to ban interracial marriage within their church.Interracial marriage in the United States of America has been legal since 1967 (And interracial relationships have always existed), and yet these church members who supported this issue were still so stuck in outdated and racist modes of thought that they felt it appropriate to condemn not only a couple that they knew but also love and marriage as a whole. The fact that disturbs me the most is that the vast majority of the congregation did not take a stand against racism and instead chose to remain silent; in doing so, they have let those who voted for the measure speak for them.
I hope that the members of this church are able to reflect on their decision and make things right, because as of right now they have shown how hatred is still a force that needs to be confronted and how far we still have to go on resolving issues of race within our country.
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