June 12th 1967. 

One night, on July 11, 1958, cops broke into Mildred & Richard Loving’s bedroom & they were arrested for being married. Richard spent 1 night in jail while his wife spent several more. They were both sentenced to 1 year in prison, but was suspended under the condition that they leave the state of Virginia (their home state) & not return together or at the same time for 25 years. They moved to Washington & had 3 children.

In 1963, Mildred became fed up with being ostracized from her home & decided to take matters into her own hands & took her case to the US Supreme Court. Her & her husband fought until the ban on interracial marriage was lifted on June 12, 1967. The rest of the states followed suit on making interracial marriage legal. Alabama was the last one to legalize interracial marriage in 2000.

Even though that case was won, to this day, some couples still have to go against their own families to even get married because of race. If it weren’t for the Lovings, we probably wouldn’t see the many mixedrace couples we see today. We all have the right to marry whoever we want, no matter their skin color or cultural background. Stand up for your rights.

June 12 1967, just 53 years ago today, Richard and Mildred lovings marriage over turned history.They were arrested and sent to jail for being married because of their race. After getting out they fraught for their civil rights, their case was heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1967, The Supreme Court decided unanimously in their favor. Richard later said “For the first time, I could put my arm around Mildred and publicly call her my wife.”

On this day, 50 years ago, this couple made history. Love won. They were arrested in the middle of the night because the state of Virginia did not recognize a marriage between people of mixed “race” (we are all the human race!) Today is a day to remember the hardships they faced and those that many couples did, and still do.

Sometimes it can be the smallest freedoms we take for granted… freedoms like love  On this day in history, it’s amazing to think, not many decades ago, it became legally acceptable to love and marry someone who was a different “color”. The Loving’s unanimous Supreme Court win open the doors for marriages, like my own, to happen.

Happy Lovings Day to all of the racially diverse couple I am blessed to have as family, friends, community and colleagues. Here’s to hoping you may one day walk arm and arm together in a truly post racial world.