When I first saw this, then read up what it was about, I realised it wasn’t what I thought.
#NationalLovingDay commentates a court case between Loving verses Virgina in the Supreme Court back in 1967. It’s a story of an interracial marriage.
Childhood friends, Mildred and Richard, met when she was 11, and he was 17. Over the years, they began courting. In 1958, when Mildred turned 18, the couple married in Washington and returned to their hometown north of Richmond. However, two weeks later, authorities arrested the couple. Mildred and Richard did not realise the state of Virginia viewed interracial marriage as illegal. The Lovings pleaded guilty, and to avoid jail time, they agreed to leave Virginia.
While living in Washington D.C., the Lovings started legal action by writing to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy referred the case to the American Civil Liberties Union. The Warren Court unanimously ruled in their favour, and the Lovings returned to their Virginia home, where they resided with their three children.
It’s hard to believe in today’s day and age that this happened when there are many, many interracial marriages and Mildred and Richard paved the way.
If you want to read more about this case, and how to celebrate it, all information can be found on the National Calendar website.
Meanwhile, it seems appropriate to share this today. It’s a cross stitch I did in 2012 for a work colleague who had a pair of love birds.
Karen J. Mossman 