This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The South's Jim Crow laws from 1880-1960 could impose legal punishment for consorting with members of another race. These state laws forbade interracial marriage, businesses and public institutions were to keep black and white clientele separate, including separation of shops, burial grounds, restaurants, parks, bars, housing, hospitals, transportation, education and so forth. Though these state laws are now obsolete and proven unconstitutional, we need to be mindful of current state laws and legislative actions that push the envelope as for their constitutionality.
This past election cycle proves again that we need to look seriously at some of the legislative infractions our state legislators have their hands in. Impairment of federal funding to aid health care for our state's disenfranchised, building barriers around alcohol beverage servers, commandeering tax money for an unconstitutional land grab, coal port, pipeline and so on. It is imperative now, as the upcoming election looms less than a month away, that we look closely at our state government, what they have accomplished, to whom are they beholden and what our future holds if they are re-elected.
Hugh Culley
Murray