The America we live in today is almost completely different than the America from the Civil Rights Movement. Almost.
Although segregation is outlawed and white and blacks can now go to the same schools, eat in the same restaurants and drink from the same water fountains, racism has reared its ugly head in a manner that is reminiscent of the outright discrimination found in the ‘60s.
Back in June, Stella Harville and Ticha Chikuni, an interracial couple, went to the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church in Kentucky where the two performed a song for the church’s congregation, reported the Huffington Post.
After their visit, Melvin Thompson, then-pastor, told Dean Harville, Stella’s father and longtime clerk and secretary of the church, that the couple could not sing there again.
Thompson recommended a proposal formally declare that the church did not condone interracial marriages, even though all were welcomed to worship there, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
“The proposal also said ‘parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services’ or other church functions, with the exception of funerals,” according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The proposal passed on a vote of nine to six. Although there were more members of the church present, Harville said that they chose not to take a stand.
On Friday, USA Today reported that the Pike County church’s state and national associations discussed forcing the church to overturn its decision if the autonomous congregation failed to do so itself.
“Many interracial couples are members of Free Will Baptist churches. They are loved, accepted and respected by their congregations. It is unfair and inaccurate to characterize the denomination as racist,” the National Association of Free Will Baptists said in a statement.
Then on Saturday, current pastor Stacy Stepp declared the ban “null and void” because the vote held last week violated church bylaws since the majority of the congregation’s membership didn’t participate.
Even though the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church made the right decision without needing any third-party intervention, the fact that such an issue even arose just goes to show how racism and discrimination that people like Martin Luther King Jr. abruptly fought against is still alive and kicking.
The church claims that the proposal was made alone to “unite” the church body, but Thompson refused any further comment on the matter besides saying that it was taken out of context.
So, then, what was the context? To me, the issue is as clear as black and white — literally. Isn’t it the Christian way to be accepting of all people, regardless of race?
To me, a product of an interracial relationship, this regressive step is a slap in the face of the tolerant country we live in today and the ideals of equality that we’ve been striving to reach for years.
Reach the columnist at alhaines@asu.edu
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