thursdsy, dscsmbcr 2, 1370
third dimension
IF INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE IS
asocial taboo, one could not guess it
from Lincoln merchants and citizens
who were encountered in a recent role
play experiment between two UNL stu
dents. The topic seems to be pr.se, to
take second place behind such other
social peculiarities as marriage between
the same sex,
Egbert Thompson, a black UNL jour
nalism senior and editor of the news
paper of the multicultural affairs office, .
acted as my fiancee and husband in
stops at local stores and banks as we sup
posedly prepared for our wedding and
to invest in the futurs. ? :
. We stopped at four j radars to look,
for engagement rings, the County-City
Elig. to apply for a marriage license,
and a savings and loan company to
inquire about a joint account. First we
allowed them to help us, and later we
returned to uncover our real identity .
and gather comments.
- Jewelers were especially helpful.
They explained the different types of 1
diamonds, helped me try them on, and
in general were eager to make a sale.
'-Oh Egbert, I like this one," I ex
c&limed over many. We looked at each
other, suppressing laughter: "
Tlss clerk was besrizg. Maybe they ; .
get a black groom and a white bride
every day, we thought.
ASKED LATER IF A BLACK
white marriage mixture surprised them,
the cterks said it did not. Once two
women engaged to each other came in . - -and
wanted to buy a ring at Powell's. '
This surprised the saleswoman, she said.
The same clerk said she would not
condone interracial marriage in her own
family, but added 'It is what is in the
heart that counts."
Sartor Hamann's was buzzing with
customers and employes, many of .
whom did double-takes as we walked
in. When we returned later I spied an el
derly lady give us a sidelong glance.
"Interracial marriages are a common
thing," said one Sartor's clerk. Randy
Weblemoe. "There is no reason to get
upset about them.
Fred Wilson at the jewelers bearing
his name said that what people do is
their business. His, he said, is helping
whoever comes through his door.
An exuberant salesman at Zales, Dale
Isackson, said that prejudice is "an an
cient philosophy," and it would be
ridiculous to turn down a sale or treat a
mixed couple differently simple because
of their colors, he said .
"Money is green," said Egbert,
"right?"
"Right! Isackson said, smiling. The
color of money is the only one that
matters, he said.
THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN
outside the marriage license office at the
County-City Eldg. looked from Egbert's
face, then to mine, and asked us what
we wanted. When we told her we
wanted a marriage license, but then
could not produce the blood test re
sults or birth certificates she asked for.
She directed us into the cfike.
The receptionist inside treated us
as just another couple to fill out a form
that afternoon. She went dryly about
the task.
Egbert filled out fee groom's infor
mation, including his name, age and .
race.
In case you're wondering, it is not 2- ,
legal to ask for nee on a marriage li- :
cense, according to a spokesman for the
Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commis
sion. The information is to be used for
statistical purposes, he said. Ths
respondent does not have to answer the -rscequestlca.
.-. - --"
I filled out the brides portion, which
asked for the same information. The re
ceptionist, official form in hand, took
our printed card and betan typing. A
few more returns of the carriage and we
might have been an official "Mr. and
Mrs. " I looked at Egbert with mild
alarm, and we interrupted her typing.
Earlier, Egbert had asked her if she
thought we would get a lot of hassles as
a mixed couple. She said, "I guess you
take that risk where ever you go,"
scarcely looking up from her desk. '
I told her what we were actually
doing. She cooly removed the paper
from the typewriter and said 'That's
why you didn't have your blood test or
ID with you."
We received details of how to open a
joint account after our marriage from
Irene Schroder, a helpful, pleasant First
Federal Savings and Loan teller. The
fact that we were a mixed couple might
have bothered some of her fellow em
ployes, she said. But customers are for -service,
she said. LucMly, wi went to ;
the right window.
SOMEBODY'S GOT TO PROTEST
our unionswe st3 thought. We went
1 to Miller and Pake's bridal registry,
photography shop and bridal gown
consultant. This time we did not come
back and tell them what we were doing.
Maybe we did not have the heart after
they were so helpful.
Whether.the bridal gown consultant
was nervous because I told her the wed
ding was in two weeks or whether it was
because she saw my black fiancee sitting
next to me, I don't know. Neverthe
less, she helped me choose an ivory wed
ding gown and happily filled out a
card to register me. I was to try on
and purchase the gown later.
No one was at the bridal registry
desk, but one girl asked us if she could
help. -
At the photography shop, we looked
at photo Christmas cards and asked
about getting ours and "the baby's"
picture taken. We went through scrap
books, price lists and a discussion of
special effects, but we saw no hint of
surprise or disgust. The employe
suggested we make a sitting appoint
ment soon for the cards. She followed
us halfway to the elevator, telling us
different ways we could be framed. '
FINALLY, WE DID SOME LIMIT
ed apartment hunting. We went from r-
door to door trying to stage an event,
perhaps secretly wishing someone -would
say, "What, rent an apartment to
you two.34"
Out of five or six apartments near
the UNL campus, only one manager
was in, and he was more than willing to
show us a third floor vacancy:, It had a
refrigerator like June Lockhart's on
the Lassie television show.
I looked around the shabby interior.
"Oh, Egbert, here's a shelf for all
your books." Then I opened a tiny
closet.
"Plenty of storage space," the
manager said.
No evidence of prejudice. The apart
ment was ours or anybody's.
It seems nobody in Lincoln cares
that one of us is black and one white.
We shrugged oar shoulders to the cool
wind on this gray November day.
"Hey, Egbert Said, "IH bet we'd
have trouble in (this other) area of
town. The KKK's burned a cross in my
frineds y;4 ess time."
"Really," I said, interested. Bui
that's where we broke our engagement."
co op I
gvs COlfyl
recepvisi
By Tcrri Wilison
or
Una
Minna
.-2 KliMt M
1
3TW mIT
O TAT T1
Continued from p. 1
Once married (after Jack graduates from medical
school in three years), this couple plans to have children.
They want to pass on their "nice philosophy of life" and
i ' " : :
i 1 - .
! i .
1 Y
K. i
r
help rid the world of prejudice, according to Sue.
Although the subject of interracial marriage has never
taken up more than a few paragraphs in marriage and the
family textbooks, older texts show a more negative at-.
titude toward it. In face, textbooks dated 1959 and 1960
came out blatantly against it
"The most frowned-upon marriage and one rarely
occurring in the United States is that between whites and
nonwhites," said Ruth Cavan in her I9S9 book Ameriam
Marriage. In this year, marriage of whites with Negroes
was legally forbidden in 29 states. Penalties of heavy fines
or imprisonment were imposed upon such couples. In
states legally allowing interracial marriage, negative public
opinion often inhibited mixed marriages.
In 1959, interracial marriages constituted about eight
out of every IOjOOO marriages in the United States.
"(The) mixed marriage presents unusually difficult
problems, which in some cases are hopelessly insoluble"
said sociologist Henry Bowman in his 1960 book,
Marrisge for Moderns.
On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled that laws
prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional.
Today, however, 12 states still have statutes which
prohibit it. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North and South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, mostly ,
Southern statei.;.,-(t :- n v.-
Tbg followin statistics come from the Nebraska t "
Health Data and Statistics Dept. of the health department.
In Nebraska in 1965, 16 of 12JD69 total marriages
performed were black- lute. Of 11,568 white men, six
married black women. In the more common pairing, 10
black men out cf 358 married white women.
In 1975, 57 of 13 37 marriages were black-white. Of
12,549 white men, three married black women. This time
time, of 333 black men, 54 married white women.
Altogether in Nebraska in 1965, 55 marriages of the
12JD69 were racially intermixed. In 1975, 249 of the
13,037 were. These totals include blacks, whites, Indians,
Mexicans, and orientals cf ar.y pairing.
Civil rights legislation cf the '60s may have contributed
W as nam - ,
done in 1970 which found that black-white marriages
were more stable than black-black marriages.
Black-husband, white-wife marriages were found to have
lower divorce rates than white-white marriages.
Prof. Babchuk confirmed these findings and said
reasons for black-white marital success are that the
couples are "more aware and sensitive to problems they
are likely to face."
For example; they have carefully considered money,
parents, friends and society's attitudes and norms and
have worked out ways to solve foreseen problems, more
so than a racially similar couple, he said.
The effects these marriages might have on future
society are being studied.
Even though those of the college-age generation seem
to be more ready to choose this route, it is not yet
free of prejudice and opposition from parents and
peers. But it is worth bucking society to marry the
person one loves, Jhe participants claim.
, more cren atntuce toward mixta msr-
!!of:rn rcciclepts atid manias ar4 the fcnUy
zy the fclsck-whiie msrrirs is ccm-ar:t;v::y r,ci
Fhsta fey TesI Ki.it
texts cy
aaccesafuL Fcr cxirrle,!. Rich
text, 77 Soc3 CcrJzxt cfll
rdUdry.inhii 1974
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