57 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark ruling that legalized interracial marriage, in all 50 states. Loving Day is a day to celebrate, a day to educate and a day to show support. Today we celebrate Loving Day.
In 1958, Mildred Jeter (a mixed-race Black and Native-American woman) and Richard Loving (a white man) wanted to get married. In their home state of Virginia, it was illegal for interracial couples to marry, so they travelled to Washington D.C. so they could legally marry. What they did not realize was that in the state of Virginia, it was also illegal for an interracial couple to do what the Lovings did: leave the state to marry and then to return home. Soon after returning home, the Lovings were arrested and sentenced to one year in prison. The presiding judge said that if they moved out of the state and did not return together for 25 years, they would avoid the prison sentence. The Lovings agreed, and decided to leave their families and their rural home and moved to Washington D.C.
The Lovings encountered some difficulties while living in Washington D.C. and they wanted to go back home to Virginia. In 1963, the United States was in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. The March on Washington had occurred and there was talk of a civil rights bill. Mildred wrote a letter, asking for help to appeal their court decision. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) referred them to a lawyer who would end up helping the Lovings appeal their case for years. All of this was done for free. Their case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, where their lawyers argued that the Lovings were denied their right to equal protection. On June 12, 1967, almost nine years after their arrest, the Lovings were legally allowed to go home and live together. This decision marks Loving Day.
The history of the United States has deep roots of racism, inequality, prejudice, stemming back to slavery. The Loving case was not only a day to celebrate Mildred and Richard’s fight to marry, but it was also a day to celebrate a step forward during the Civil Rights movement. Loving Day is an occasion to remember that in the not-too-distant past, things were vastly different than they are today. Today, and every day, we should remind ourselves to not shy away from conversations about race and racism and to remember that racism is still very much prevalent in the U.S. Just because it is legal for interracial couples to marry, does not mean that they do not still face discrimination. While planning their weddings, some interracial couples still fight to find a venue, an officiant, a baker, that will work with them. Interracial couples are still dealing with racial remarks and judgement.
Just 57 years. That’s how long interracial couples have legally been allowed to marry, in the United States. So today, let’s celebrate Mildred and Richard and their fight to marry. Let’s celebrate diversity. Let’s celebrate acceptance and love. And remember that, even during many of our lifetimes, this kind of union would not have been possible in many states…without retribution.