Member-only story
So Much to Love About Loving Day
And why a day that celebrates interracial marriage is near and dear to my heart
June 12 is the anniversary of the 1967 passing of Loving vs. Virginia, a ruling that finally made it illegal in the United States to restrict interracial couples from marrying in any state. Celebrated across the country, Loving Day recalls the determination and love shared by one of the best-known interracial couples in U.S. history, the Lovings.
Loving vs. Virginia
Richard and Mildred Loving were married in Washington D.C. in 1958 and literally banished from the state of Virginia shortly after they returned to their hometown after their wedding. According to the wonderful lovingday.org website, Richard and Mildred’s marriage was considered a crime in Virginia, and the act of leaving the state to marry and then return was another crime. In a Virginia court, they were sentenced to one year of prison but told they could avoid imprisonment if they left the state for twenty-five years. So they returned to Washington, DC, but struggled without family or friends nearby, especially when they began their own family.
After five years away from home and as the civil rights moment in the U.S. gained traction, Mildred wrote to the office of U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy for…
