The Loving decision
-
- May
- 7
Mildred Jeter, known to all as “Bean” because she was tall and slim, and Richard Loving, were childhood sweethearts in Virginia. They got married in 1958, and she was already pregnant with the first of their three children.
There was only one problem. Jeter was black, and Loving was white.
The couple had married in the District of Colombia, but anti-miscegenation laws in their home state didn’t recognize their union, and they were prosecuted and forced to leave Virginia.
Their legal challenge eventually led to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning laws banning interracial marriage, but not before the couple faced tremendous hardship, including being arrested for traveling together.
Mildred Loving died on Friday. Her husband died in a car accident in 1975. She never re-married.
Every year, The Loving Day campaign encourages interracial couples to celebrate the June 12, 1967 anniversary of the Loving vs. Virginia decision.
There are more than 4 million interracial couples nationwide, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
For more about the Lovings’ story, see this article in the Los Angeles Times.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 12:01 pm by Suzan Clarke.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Share and Enjoy: del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Help | 
| 
Thanx for this. I didnt know this bit of history, or maybe just didnt remember it. My wife and I as well as some friends can relate to this 100%
It’s been a long time since I’ve since that terrible word “miscegenation.” Thankfully, it seems like ancient history since such words were part of normal discourse.
I think the Loving decision was a great decision. It’s hard to believe that as recently as 1967, certain states prohibited interracial marriage. I understand it intellectually, but it’s still hard to grasp the mindset behind it.
While most people continue to marry within their race, interracial relationships have become pretty unremarkable. That’s a good thing.