Mildred Loving and husband Richard
Loving, January 26, 1965. Loving
challenged Virginia's ban on interracial
marriage. It led to a landmark Supreme
Court ruling. (AP Photo)
Loving, January 26, 1965. Loving
challenged Virginia's ban on interracial
marriage. It led to a landmark Supreme
Court ruling. (AP Photo)
"There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause."
--The U.S. Supreme Court, 1967
Listen up: Beginning today, and in conjunction with Black History month, the daddy will only post on historical events and people who worked to make a difference for African Americans
and America itself: people who, as they say in gospel, "...brought us from a mighty long way." He will post on musical, literary and political figures and events. He will post especially on some lesser figures-known figures today but figures who made a difference in the past. Some posts will revisit historical figures about whom the daddy has already written. Other posts will be new altogether.
One historical figure who brought us "...from a mighty long way" was Mildred Loving. If you say you know her, you will not get a prize like you're on one of those tv game shows. No happy music for you.
If you don't know her, don't worry. As some Italians like to say, "Forget about it!" Chances are you'll still be on your job next week (even in this sorry economy), the moon will hang low tonight, and the sun will rise tomorrow. But you know what? Mildred Loving made a meaningful contribution to black Americans and America as a whole. What did she do? Well...
Quiet, small Mildred Loving caused a loud outcry and lit a gigantic firestorm; she took the state of Virgina to the highest court in the land and won. The Supreme Court struck down laws banning interracial marriage in Virginia and 17 other states. Mildred and her equally kind and "loving" husband Richard were arrested for "co-habitating." They would have gone to jail had they not agreed to leave town. But the Supreme Court declared that such laws denied Mildred and Richard equal protection of the law. So, after 25 years, they moved back back to Virgina. Richard died in 1975.
But laws and history aside, Mildred was just a quiet, humble young woman in love. As she said to the Washington Post in 1992: "The preacher at my church classified me with Rosa Parks. I don't feel like that. Not at all. What happened, we really didn't intend for it to happen. What we wanted, we wanted to come home."
Mildred is in an even better home now: a home where no man-made laws from Virginia can hurt her. She died of pneumonia in her rural home of Milford, Virginia. She was 68. But lawd knows, she helped make life much easier for the generation that came after her. Now, all Americans can sing the gospel song, "...How I got over/how I got over/My soul looks back and wonder/how I got over."
Thank you, Mildred and Richard, for bringing us from a mighty long way.
Know your black history. Know Mildred and Richard Loving.
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Note: Don't forget to check out the photos of great black
historical figures on the sidebar.
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9 comments:
Reminder: Tonight MSNBC Premieres “A Father's Promise” for Black History Month (Video)
Hey,
I just wanted to give you and your readers a quick heads up that “A Father’s Promise,” premieres tonight at 8pm ET on MSNBC to coincide with Black History Month. I thought you might be interested to tune in and watch, here's a preview clip below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/28896095#28896095
"A Father's Promise" is a thought-provoking documentary and attempts to understand an issue close to President Obama, the subject of absent fathers in the African-American community. It includes a cross-section of African-Americans, including NBC's Al Roker and Tiki Barber, who come together for a round-table discussion of these situations and issues. The other round-table participants are Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey; Rev. Eugene Rivers, a Boston pastor and MSNBC analyst; Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Princeton university professor of politics and African American studies; and Marni McKoy, Heru's Principal at Link Community School in Newark.
I hope you’ll be interested in writing about this.
All the best,
Denise
Denise Yantin
360i on behalf of MSNBC
Sone look toward the future and wonder, others like Mildred Loving change it. Looking forward to your series.
Denise: Your first time at this blog? Hey, put yourself as a follower on my sidebar. Sometimes, folks who come to my blog check the followers and go to the blog followers as well. I'll chec out the program. Thanks
"Some look toward the future and wonder. Others, like Mildred Loving, change it."
Rainy: Yes; and she was not a scholar like Dr. King or a great student and speaker like President Barack. She was just a down-to-earth lady in love. People like Mildred Loving is the reason I don't want any elitist analyst or pundits or commentators telling me that regular folks, or lay people, can't make a difference. They do all the time.
Rainy: Just to let you know: I had problems coming onto your blog to comment.
What an inspiring account of someone with such integrity and strength. Thanks, MacD. Hope you're well and beatin' the cold up there. Peace, Verna & Beatrice
guess oakland never got the equal protection clause in writing
In the U.S., often there is a gap between laws and governmental behavior. My point was that Mildred Loving changed the law. Thanks to Mildred, many interracial couples live out their lives without cops knocking on the door to arrest them, jail them and run them out of the state.
That's such a great unknown story (although, I read MacDaddy and read it last year!). They must have been a wonderful couple besides being full of integrity and fortitude.
The greatest stories are stories of love.
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