This week, the South Carolina House will vote on H. 3591: the repeal of the Blaine Amendment.
The Blaine Amendment (Section 4, Article XI of the state constitution) was designed and implemented by some of the most infamous racists in our state’s history; it was meant to stop the Catholic Church from educating freed Blacks and immigrants. The amendment forced minority populations into segregated and substandard public schools.
This law is not merely a disgraceful relic of the past; the Blaine Amendment continues to perpetuate injustice by blocking state funds to Catholic schools that educate underserved and underprivileged children.
H. 3591 is about more than repealing an outdated constitutional law. It is about whether our state will continue to tolerate systemic anti-Catholic bigotry which ripples out to the communities and families served by our schools.
It is time to repeal the Blaine Amendment from South Carolina's constitution.