Loving Day
Loving Day | |
---|---|
Observed by | United States |
Type | Secular |
Significance | Anniversary of Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia |
Date | June 12 |
Loving Day is an annual national celebration held on June 12, the
Loving Day is not an officially recognized holiday by the
History
Loving Day originated with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The case was brought by Mildred Loving (née Jeter), a woman of Black and Native American descent[9] classified as "colored" under Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924, and Richard Loving, a white man. The couple met in Central Point, Virginia, when she was 11 and he was 17.[10] Richard Loving was a family friend and they courted over the years. On June 2nd, 1958, after she became pregnant, they married in Washington, D.C.[11][9] Mildred Loving was 18 at the time and reportedly did not realize that interracial marriage was illegal.[11] Five weeks following their wedding, they were arrested and returned to their hometown north of Richmond, Virginia.[9][12] They pleaded guilty to charges of "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth." The Lovings were sentenced to a year in prison but avoided jail time by leaving Virginia and agreeing not to return to the state for 25 years.[13][11]
The Lovings moved to Washington, D.C., and began legal action by writing to
The Warren Court unanimously ruled in favor of the young couple on June 12, 1967, nine years after their wedding, and they returned to Virginia, where they lived with their three children.[11] The court's ruling eliminated anti-miscegenation laws in all 16 states that had them.[12]
In 1975, Richard Loving died in a car accident. Mildred Loving died May 5, 2008, at the age of 68.[15]
Legacy
Many organizations sponsor annual parties across the country, with Lovingday.org providing an online legal map, courtroom history of anti-miscegenation laws, as well as offering testimonials by and resources for interracial couples. Inspired by
In popular culture
- Golden Globe nominations for Negga.[16]
- A documentary, The Loving Story,[17][18] which features rare contemporaneous photographs of the couple and details the history of the case and references Loving Day, premiered on HBO on Valentine's Day 2012.[19][20][21][22]
- New York Times best-selling author Heidi W. Durrow[23][24] co-organized the second-largest celebration of Loving Day in the country with Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni, during the annual Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival.[25][26]
- The annual flagship Loving Day Celebration in
- Several cities and municipalities have issued proclamations officially recognizing Loving Day as a holiday, including Washington, D.C., and Caroline County, Virginia,[33] where the Lovings hailed from.[34]
- "Loving v. Virginia," an opera, is scheduled to premier in 2025 at the Harrison Opera House in Richmond Virginia.[12]
Outside the U.S.
Since 2013,[35][36] Loving Day has been celebrated with an annual symposium at De Balie theater in Amsterdam, organized by the Stichting Loving Day foundation.[37]
See also
References
- ^ Tucker, Neely (June 13, 2006). "Loving Day Recalls a Time When the Union of a Man And a Woman Was Banned". The Washington Post.
- ^ Bussel, Rachel Kramer (June 6, 2006). "Love Actually: Talking with Ken Tanabe, founder of Loving Day". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 2, 2006.
- ^ Gandin Le, Jennifer (June 8, 2007). "Loving Day: It's Not a Hallmark Holiday". The Huffington Post.
- ^ a b "Loving v. Virginia". Oyez. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Make Loving Day Official". lovingday.org. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ "'Loving Day' Personified in Presidential Race". NPR.org. June 12, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ a b Shay, Christopher (June 11, 2010). "Loving Day". Time.
- ^ a b c "June 12 is Loving Day — when interracial marriage finally became legal in the U.S." NPR. June 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "The History Behind Loving Day". Time. June 10, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Walker, Dionne (June 10, 2007). "Pioneer of Interracial Marriage Looks Back". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage nationwide. The story behind it will now become an opera". The Virginian-Pilot. May 19, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Earl Warren (June 12, 1967). "LOVING v. VIRGINIA". Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
On January 6, 1959, the Lovings pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced to one year in jail; however, the trial judge suspended the sentence for a period of 25 years on the condition that the Lovings leave the State and not return to Virginia together for 25 years ... After their convictions, the Lovings took up residence in the District of Columbia.
- ^ "Mildred Loving, Key Figure in Civil Rights Era, Dies". PBS NewsHour. May 6, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Loving Movie | Official Website | Trailers and Release Dates | Focus Features". Loving Movie | Official Website | Trailers and Release Dates | Focus Features. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ "The Loving Story". Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ HBO Documentary Films: The Loving Story Trailer
- ^ The New York Times Lens blog, "The Heart of the Matter: Love", Jan. 18, 2012
- ^ HBO Documentary Films: The Loving Story
- ^ "Documentary Examines US Struggle to End Bans on Interracial Marriage". VOA. May 2, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ Fredericksburg (VA) Star: "Film retells Lovings' love story", Feb. 6, 2012 Archived February 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The New York Times Sunday Book Review: "The Bluest Eye", Feb. 28, 2010
- ^ New York Times "Best Sellers: Paperback Trade Fiction", Sunday, March 13th, 2011
- ^ Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival
- ^ "Interview with author Heidi Durrow, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky". Psychology Today. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ BBC World 24: Our World: Loving vs Virginia, part 3
- ^ "Loving Day Honors Mixed-Marriage, Fights Prejudice". June 11, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010.
- ^ "Loving Day Marks 1967 Victory for Legal Interracial Marriage". VOA. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ NPR: "Celebrating 40 Years of Loving Day", June 11, 2008
- ^ The Washington Post: "Mildred Loving Followed Her Heart and Made History", May 6, 2008
- ^ Remembering Mr. and Mrs. Loving. YouTube. June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ Caroline County Official Proclamation of June 12 as Loving Day Archived October 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACLU of Virginia: "Emotional Gathering in Caroline County Celebrates ACLU Case Striking Down Virginia's Anti-Miscegenation Law", Feb. 5. 2012
- ^ Official announcement for the first LovingDay.NL symposium on Vijfeeuwenimmigratie (“Five Centuries of Immigration”) website (nl)
- ^ Program of 2013 LovingDay.NL symposium on Vijfeeuwenimmigratie website (nl)
- ^ LovingDay. "Loving Day 2015". lovingday.nl. Retrieved June 12, 2015.