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Strollerderby
Show Racist JOP How Much Your Kids “Suffer”
Sometimes, the only way to combat ignorant people is to just confront them with the reality of their wrongheadedness. You can do it violently or aggressively — or you can simply and gracefully show them the beauty of the truth.
That’s what Suzy Richardson is doing. She’s a happily married mother of four married to her firefighter husband, with whom she is raising their four children ranging in age from one year to 11 years old. She’s also a white woman married to a black man, and those four children are biracial. So she took a good bit of issue with former Lousiana Justice of the peace Keith Bardwell’s much-publicized refusal to marry an interracial couple. (Bardwell resigned earlier this month in a firestorm of criticism). Bardwell’s excuse was that he thinks the children of interracial relationships suffer.
Richardson realized her kids weren’t suffering, although it’s not like they could grow up to be an Oscar-winning actress or one of the best golfers in the world, or President of the United States or anything. (Oh, wait…).
So in a nice twist on the idea that “Living well is the best revenge” she organized a campaign to send Bardwell a Christmas card with pictures of 100 biracial families. Or, as she calls them (and her blog), Mixed and Happy.
As of yesterday, she had 44 submissions and is planning on taking them for about another month. I know there’s more than a few of you out there who I am sure would looovveee to show Bardwell exactly what a fool he is. Go to work, ‘derby readers!
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18 Comments
[...] check into it more, but I wanted to pass it on to Honeysmoke readers. It’s a blog called Mixed and Happy, and it was started as a response to the Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to marry a [...]
HONEYSMOKE» Blog Archive » Mixed and Happy commented on Nov 26 09 at 8:37 pmGeorgio L. commented on Nov 11 09 at 5:38 pmAbsolutely correct… the best to deal with “haters” is to live your life well. It’s sad that in the 21st century we still have people
Nicole commented on Nov 11 09 at 6:02 pmFinally! Someone who stands up for us.
Laure68 commented on Nov 11 09 at 6:05 pmGood for her! It is unbelievable that the judge refused to marry that couple because he thought their kids would suffer. The only reason these kids could suffer for being biracial is because of racist, backwards thinking, which is he promoting.
Georgio L. commented on Nov 11 09 at 6:30 pmAbsolutely correct… the best to deal with “haters” is to live your life well. It’s sad that in the 21st century we still have people who feel their foolish racial prejudice is somehow validated.
Oak commented on Nov 11 09 at 6:35 pmLove is not a color. It is an action. Our children feel loved because of the way we treat them, teach them, raise them, hug them … not because of our skin color when we are doing those things. I am so happy to see all of those Mixed and Happy families!
Alicia commented on Nov 11 09 at 8:24 pmThanks for the link and info. I went and submitted a few pictures. DH and I are both the product of multiracial relationships, and now our children when we finally conceive will have quite a list of races behind them. It is shocking in today’s day and age that things like this still go on.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Nov 11 09 at 9:22 pmSent pics of my fam!
MarionR commented on Nov 12 09 at 8:25 amWe are all one race — the human race! Keep up the good efforts Suzy!
Melissa Wallace commented on Nov 12 09 at 8:34 amI submitted my picture! If it weren’t for my “white” grandpa marrying my Japanese grandma, I never would have been born. I can’t imagine anyone thinking it would be better for these children if they were never born…not that denying marriage necessarily stops couples from having children! Thank you, Suzy for taking a stand on an issue that is so important!
Tina commented on Nov 12 09 at 9:04 amA beautiful family! She has taken the ignorance of one and used it to educate many, way to go Susie!
C commented on Nov 12 09 at 6:41 pmThere needs to be more discussion on this topic, and it’s great that she’s initiating it.
jane commented on Nov 13 09 at 4:07 pmHow nice to see something positive come out of the judge’s negative narrow-mindedness
Oak commented on Nov 13 09 at 7:25 pmI commented once before and it didn’t show up. So here goes again:
Love is not a color. It is an action. Our children feel loved because of the way we treat them, teach them, raise them, hug them … not because of our skin color when we are doing those things. I am so happy to see all of those Mixed and Happy families!
Suzy commented on Nov 17 09 at 9:26 pmThanks to everyone who submitted their pictures!!
Burt Fisher commented on Dec 06 09 at 2:41 pmBoy, was I wrong. I thought this was a blog about parenting, and not about intolerance. Of, by and for intolerant people. Good bye.
Suzy commented on Feb 19 10 at 7:56 pmHi all. Thanks for all of the support. Just wanted to swing by to say that, as a result of this judge, we started our Web site. http://www.mixedandhappy.com if anyone wants to stop by;)
Denise Taylor commented on Aug 27 10 at 11:20 pmCommentsI am truly happy tp have found this link,I am a blck woman would has adopted two beatuiful bi-racial children, who also happen to have been my neice and nephew, the sad part of this is the white side will not have anyting to do with these children and the black side has embraced them they do not know what it is to be not love, I agree skin
color should not bee an issue on anything but when it is a taught at home that is a sad state, kids do not grow up looking at what color the next kid is when they are having fun the just play, it is the older ones that instill the madness so keep up the good work love until you can’t love anymore and instill in your kids that there will be a brighter day even when you deal with fools
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