Why Marriage Matters to African Americans
"When my late husband, Richard, and I got married in Washington, DC in 1958, it wasn't to make a political statement or start a fight. We were in love, and we wanted to be married. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the 'wrong kind of person' for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. I am proud that Richard's and my name are on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about."
Read her full statement (pdf)
Generations of African Americans have worked to make our nation's promise of equal justice a reality. From Emancipation and Brown vs. Board of Education to everything beyond, black communities have struggled to gain due respect in society. Today, lesbian and gay couples working to end discrimination in marriage often invoke the spirit of civil rights in their quest to legally marry. Are marriage rights for same-sex couples the next hurdle in our ongoing movement for civil rights? Many Black leaders (pdf) across the country seem to think so, and are actively seeking to achieve this next level of equality. Some key architects (pdf) of the African American civil rights movement are joining with them, calling the ability to marry the person of our choice a matter of basic human rights.
A landmark study of African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the U.S., Say It Loud: I'm black and I'm Proud, released in March 2002 by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute, found that ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage would provide especially significant protections to LGBT people of color.
Proposed anti-gay marriage state and federal constitutional amendments will disproportionately harm African American same-sex couples and their families. African American same-sex couples, who represent a slightly larger percent of same sex couples in America (pdf) than do African Americans in the general population, already struggle with a greater rate of economic disadvantage compared both to Black married opposite-sex couples and White same-sex couples.
Evan Wolfson and civil rights attorney Bernard S. Cohen, who argued the Loving's case, write together about Loving v. Virginia as a milestone in racial equality, an important vindication of marriage as a cherished civil right, and a testament to the importance of fighting for equality, rather than sitting by silently, indifferently, or complacently in the face of cruel exclusion. (link)
In this article (pdf), Samiya Bashir outlines the history and current issues involved in the freedom to marry for African Americans and urges both gay and non-gay African Americans to stand up and fight for equality.
An excellent publication (pdf) released by the National Black Justice Coalition and Equality Maryland offering a "Black Perspective on Same Gender Marriage." This important resource includes data, personal stories, and quotes in support of ending discrimination in marriage from African American leaders across the country.
