b"POINTProtect the Freedom to MarryBy Ben Jealous same-sex couples under federal law if passed by theagainst protecting those couples under federal law.Senate.Why do we need a federal law to protect peoples The right to marry has not always been protectedfreedomtomarry?Becauseanti-equalitygroups W e all know that what people do tells you moreforeveryone.MyownparentshadtodealwithhaveneveracceptedtheCourts2015rulingthat about them than what they say. Thats true forthefactthatsomestatesstillmadeitillegalforsame-sexcoupleshaveaconstitutionalrightto politicians, too. my White father and Black mother to get married.marry under the 14th Amendment and that states Weseepoliticianswhocallthemselvespro-lifeAVirginiajudgeupheldthatcannot ban same-sex marriage. andpro-womanwhentheyrepushingtomakestates anti-marriage law claim- They have vowed to overturn it. abortionacrimebutshrugtheirshoulderswhening that God did not intend forAndbecauseJusticeClarence those laws result in greater risk of women dying dur- the races to mix. In 1967, theThomas just called on the Court ing pregnancy-related medical crises. Or who claimU.S. Supreme Court overturnedto reconsider and overturn its to be pro-child but try to force a 10-year-old rapelaws against interracial couplesmarriage equality rulingalong victim to accept the physical and emotional traumagetting married. withotherrulingsrecognizing of bearing her rapists child.Almost50yearslater,thearighttoprivacy,protecting Its the same when it comes to marriage. A lot ofSupreme Court rejected similaraccesstocontraception,and politicianswhopostureasdefendersofmarriageargumentsthatwereusedtodecriminalizingconsensual justvotedagainsttheRespectforMarriageAct,defendlawsmakingitillegalsexualrelationshipsbetween which passed the U.S. House of Representatives onforsame-sexcouplestogetpeople of the same sex. July 19, and would ensure that equal treatment ofmarried.WhenIwasservingForyears,Thomaswas aspresidentoftheNAACP,Ianoften-lonelyvoiceonthe was proud to lead the organi- extreme right wing of the Court. zationssupporttothemar- But he has a lot more company riage equality movement. And Iout there now, especially with was thrilled when the Supremethe three justices named by for-Most Americans agree. ByCourt ultimately rejected statemerPresidentDonaldTrump. laws that discriminated againstTheyjustoverturnedRoev. far. Support for interracialloving same-sex couples. Ben Jealous Wade,strippingAmericansof therighttomakeabortion-marriage reached 94MildredLoving,halfoftherelateddecisionsabouttheir couple that took the interracialbodiesandfamilies.Andfar-ban all the way to the Supreme Court, was also on percent last year, and thisboard.Shewasgratefulforthefreedomtomarryright state legislators started competing to see who the person she loved and for the family they builtcould pass the most extreme laws targeting pregnant year, support for same-sextogether. And she wanted all Americans to have thatpeople, their supporters, and even their health care same freedom.providers. couples right to marriageMost Americans agree. By far. Support for interra- Thomas is just getting started, and it is clear that the far-right movement that helped Trump stack the cial marriage reached 94 percent last year, according hit 71 percent. to Gallup. And this year, support for same-sex cou- Supreme Court has a lot more in mind than over-ples right to marriage hit 71 percent, according toturning Roe v. Wade. Same-sex couples could be the Gallup. But about three-quarters of the Republicansnext target. And were all targets for the ideologues intheU.S.HouseofRepresentativesjustvotedContinued on Page 19ROE V. WADEThe Problem of the Heart,is the Heart of the ProblemBy Dr. Nathan O'NealSome Pastors are telling congrega- The bible tells us that in the year of tions to vote for democrats, the very groupoflegislatorswhoestablishedContinued on Page 19A fterTheSupremeCourtrulingtheKKK,partneredwithSanger, overturningRoevWade,therejoined with President Johnsons great have been many Christians who havesocietytodisbandblackfamilies[at expressed remorse and disdain. the time of this movement by Johnson, Iwouldliketobrieflysharemythe black family makeup was 85% two parent householdstoday the rate of thoughts about where some folks havetwoparenthouseholdsintheblackSanger partnered erred in their anger. community stands at 22%] Roe v Wade was never a constitutionalThissamegroupofliberallegisla- with the KKK, right. Simply because the court ruled in favor of this travesty in 1973, theretors worked on the defund the policeeliciting them in has been a concerted effort to reversemadnessthathasexplodedintothe surgeofcrimeandlawlessnessthat the ruling. we see today. her attempts to Some pastors have been extremely outspoken,sayingthingslike;thisUnfetteredspendinghasplungedexterminate black willreturnustothedaysofslaveryAmericaintoabearmarket,leading [whichbytheway,hasnocorrela- Dr. Nathan O'Neal us toward a recession [generally]thatfolks forever. She tiontoabortion];thisisaninjusticeItisblackfolks toblackwomen[notrecallingtheexperience the greatest suffering dur- even got many black Negro Project established by MargaretToday, the gatekeepers in the blacking this period yet pastors are pushing Sangerashermovementtoridthecommunity have riled black women uptheideaofanequalityofoutcomes.preachers of the day worldoftheundesirableelementsto the point that they are even attack- Certainly,weunderstandthatmany [black folks] in society.ingoneofthefivejustices[Justicestarted lives in less-than-ideal circum- to join in!Sanger partnered with the KKK, elic- Thomas]whojoinedtooverturnRoestances, but this idea of participation iting them in her attempts to extermi- v Wade. trophiesisbutoneofthereasons nate black folks forever. She even gotthe black population has remained at manyblackpreachersofthedaytoRoe v Wade was always meant to con- approximately13%[=/+or-.085]for join in! tinue the erosion of black folks. the last five decades.6 AUGUST 2022 BOCNEWS.com"