Renewing their vows
Black couples renew vows to make statement
By Norm Parish
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Mar. 26 2006
Wearing their Sunday best, Willie and Jane Wallace slowly marched along a
red-carpeted aisle before proudly stating their devotion to one another. But
they weren’t the only couple who retook the plunge Sunday at St. Peter AME
Church in St. Louis.
They were among 26 couples who restated their marriage vows as part of National
Black Marriage Day. The Wallaces were married 57 years ago.
“I guess this is ancient history,” quipped Willie Wallace, 80, a retired
correctional officer from St. Louis. “I knew marriage was the right thing to
do. But I didn’t think it would last this long.”
Across the country, the marriages of African-American couples such as the
Wallaces were being touted as examples of successful marriages for younger
people. The ceremonies also were held to help strengthen marriages.
In St. Louis, All Saints Episcopal Church was among the local groups that held
events to promote marriage.
Overall, about 150 groups nationally participated in National Black Marriage
Day, an event that has grown since it first started with 30 groups in 2003. (more…)
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And who said “Marriage is for white people“?
