Almost 41 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was a basic civil right for those in love to marry, a right that racist laws could not hinder. That ruling was the result of the love that a black woman, Mildred Loving, had for a white man, Richard Loving. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967). Mildred Loving passed away today at age 68.
As Mildred retells her story:
When my late husband, Richard, and I got married in Washington, DC in 1958, it wasn’t to make a political statement or start a fight. We were in love, and we wanted to be married.
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Not long after our wedding, we were awakened in the middle of the night in our own bedroom by deputy sheriffs and actually arrested for the “crime” of marrying the wrong kind of person. Our marriage certificate was hanging on the wall above the bed. The state prosecuted Richard and me, and after we were found guilty, the judge declared: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” He sentenced us to a year in prison, but offered to suspend the sentence if we left our home in Virginia for 25 years exile.
What was clear to Mildred, and what is clear to all progressives, is that the breadth of support for bigotry is no excuse for its defense. Last June, on the 40th anniversary of the Court's decision to strike down all laws forbidding the marriage of persons of two different races, Mildred wrote a powerful press statement. It is hosted in full at Positive Liberty (h/t to dKos for the link), but I think this is the key, common sense take away point:
My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God’s plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation’s fears and prejudices have given way, and today’s young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry.
Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the “wrong kind of person” for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.
I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.
Rest in peace, Mildred Loving.
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