Celebrating the loving decision: The case that legalized interracial marriage
In 1967, Loving v. Virginia was heard by the Supreme Court who ruled in favor of an interracial couple, declaring that laws prohibiting interracial marriage are unconstitutional.
In 1958, Mildred Jeter, a Black woman, did the unthinkable; she dared to marry a white man named Richard Loving. Five weeks following the nuptials, a sheriff and two deputies barged into the Virginia couple's home in the middle of the night, arresting the newlyweds. The Lovings were then charged in violation of Virginia's laws barring interracial marriage.
Mildred and Richard pled guilty to the charge and were forced to relocate to Washington D.C. to avoid sentencing. But they wouldn't take this lying down. Backed by the ACLU, the couple filed a suit stating that Virginia's law banning interracial marriage was in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case, Loving v. Virginia would eventually head to the Supreme Court in 1967, where the court would unanimously rule in favor of the couple, declaring that laws prohibiting interracial marriage are unconstitutional.
The Lovings' conviction was overturned, and following the Supreme Court's decision, 16 states would have their existing laws forbidding interracial marriage reversed. The remaining states with these laws still in effect were unable to enforce them due to the decision. In 2000, Alabama became the last state to repeal its bans on interracial marriage.
When Mildred and Richard decided to marry, they had no idea that their love would become instrumental in dismantling "Jim Crow" race laws that plagued the entire nation. Not only did the Loving Decision bring an end to state bans on interracial marriage; it would later help pave the way for same-sex marriage, which Mildred Loving vocally supported during the 40th anniversary of the Loving Decision.
Loving Day reminds us that love truly is blind, and that the government should never dictate a person's right to marry whomever they choose. Today, we reflect on the unwavering bravery demonstrated by the Lovings and all of those who continue to fight in the name of love and acceptance.
Sincerely,
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus
Contact:
Derion Searcey, Executive Director of IBLC
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-9827
1-800-382-9842
derion.searcey@iga.in.gov
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