Alabama Families Rally To Disprove Alvin Holmes’ Comments On Transracial Adoption

An Alabama lawmaker thought he could throw the state back into the 1960’s, but “a whole bunch” of Alabama families rallied at the state house to show just how wrong he was. Representative Alvin Holmes is no stranger to outlandish remarks, but his recent statement on transracial adoption may just have taken the cake.

Democrat Holmes attacked fellow lawmakers on the floor of the House saying that whites would not adopt black babies, and he issued this challenge: “I will bring you $100,000 cash tomorrow if you show me a whole bunch of whites that adopted blacks in Alabama. I will go down there and mortgage my house and get it cash in $20 bills and bring it to you in a little briefcase.”

The inflammatory remarks came during debate in the House on a fetal heartbeat bill, which passed despite his efforts. And Holmes didn’t stop there. He went on to say that, “ninety-nine percent of you sittin’ in here now, if your daughter got pregnant by a black man, you gonna make her have an abortion. You not gonna let her have the baby.”

It took no time at all for some Alabama families to mobilize into action, not for the $100,000, which surely no one believed for a moment would be forthcoming, but to prove him wrong. Beverly Owings, who is an adoptive mother of a 13-year-old bi-racial daughter, formed a Facebook page “Faces of Families in Alabama,” which, as of this writing, has grown to over 9,000 likes since its formation on April 2.

Adoptive families then organized and held a rally and press conference on the steps of the state house on Wednesday. More than 100 people came to show just how much love is there in many transracial families in Alabama. Rep. Alvin Holmes was invited, but he declined. Owings told The Blaze, “This was not about money, but about changing Holmes opinion, and about getting out the word about how many children are available for adoption in Alabama.”

When the media mocked Mitt Romney’s transracial family during the last election, The Inquisitr reported how Sarah Palin blasted the attack: “Leftist media hounds are not expressing an opinion with this attack; they are expressing a prejudice that would never be accepted if it came from anyone else but the lib[eral] media.”

Apparently, Rep. Holmes thinks that it is acceptable to make such hurtful remarks. A press release by Alabama adoptive parents expresses their disagreement:

“Rep. Holmes’ statements are degrading to children whose adoptive parents are of a different race than the child and his statements have a negative effect on children and families. His statements are not accurate and it does not represent the true statistics of adoptive families in Alabama. It’s important to publically [sic] counteract his statements with the truth. If not, it could cause children of transracial families to feel inferior, and cause some families considering transracial adoption to change their minds.”

The Faces of Families in Alabama Facebook page quickly filled with many beautiful pictures of transracial families, as well as comments of support for the families. There was even a quote from Leigh Anne Tuohy, adoptive mother of Michael Oher, on whom the movie “The Blind Side” was based. “Families don’t have to match. You don’t have to look like someone else to love them.”

Beverly Owings was interviewed on a local Montgomery talk show on WVAS-FM by Robb Taylor, host of the “Perspective” show. During the interview, which is posted on the Facebook page, Rep. Alvin Holmes called in to try to explain himself. Sadly, he just dug a deeper hole for himself. He tried to convince the host that “the majority of the white people in the state of Alabama are for segregation.” Taylor quickly corrected him, “You are still living in the past, sir. I think things have changed a lot in the past 40 years.”

Yet, Holmes pressed on, attempting to clarify that he was not actually against transracial families, or bi-racial marriage. Beverly tried in vain to help him to focus on the issue at hand, but to no avail. He continued, “I don’t care who marry who. If a man meet a little mule, and he want to get married to the little mule, as long as he and the little mule get along alright, that’s fine with me.” Beverly interjected, “Oh, my God.” But he kept on going, “You know it doesn’t bother me any kind of way.” Yes, this actually happened.

For 40 years, Alvin Holmes has been representing his district in the state’s capitol. But he faces opposition this year from Tijuanna Adetunji, who DID show up at the rally for adoptive families. Adetunji is both lovely and articulate. She told The Inquisitr that “Rep. Holmes’ comments are beyond inappropriate. Alabama cannot change its past, but it certainly can improve its future by supporting families that love and care for children through adoption.”

Let’s hope so. Kudos to all the families in Alabama with the courage to stand up to Rep. Alvin Holmes and his nonsense, and who show that the state has indeed taken to heart the words of beloved Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I have a dream that… one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”

[Images via Facebook and Bing]