 In
the backdrop we see eyes. Blue eyes in a sea of Caucasian
skin.You can almost
hear them gossiping. Talking about her, the traitor.
Protecting the man whom she divorced.
Eyes, can’t believe what
they are seeing, that she has since has hooked up with
Palmore, a “black man.”
Eyes, bewildered that she
could marry someone of another race.
Eyes, horrified that she’s
taken her daughter—one of their own—to live with him.
Eyes, choosing sides in an
otherwise resolved custody battle, trying to tip the
balance.
At the trial level, they
succeeded. Their profound racism was given weight by the
court, agreeing that the child would be more vulnerable to
social stigmatization in a racially mixed household. The
mother lost custody of her child.
She appealed. A
unanimous Supreme Court saw things her way --Palmore v.
Sidoti, 466 U.S. 429 (1984). The private prejudices of
others may be something the state can’t control, but it
certainly shouldn’t give them effect. Removing the kid
from her Mom was wrong.
Discrimination is always
wrong. Pure and simple.
Let’s never lose sight of
that.
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