Thank Loving Day

 
Just over 50- years ago, 54 to be exact, interracial/multi-cultural (IR/MC) marriages were against the law, and could get you jail time in many states here in the great melting pot. IR/MC marriages existed, but the two lovers often had to lie about or hide some aspects of their union.
When reformist and statesman Frederick Douglass married suffragist Helen Pitts in 1884, after fathering five children with his first wife, Anna Murray, his marriage to Pitts was constantly ridiculed by both Blacks and Whites. Actress/singer Pearl Bailey and her husband, jazz drummer/composer/band leader Louie Bellson often had to say he was of Haitian descent when they performed in southern states. The stories go on and on until one couple managed to overturn archaic laws forbidding marriages between people of different color.

In 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter travelled to Washington, D.C. to be married. Five weeks after their wedding, they were awakened at 2 a.m. and arrested for being married to one another. Nine years later, after a number of hearings and setbacks, the Supreme Court ruled in their favor, overturning laws in all 50 states prohibiting interracial/multicultural marriages. June 12, 1967 is known as “Loving Day.” Thanks to the Lovings and their predecessors, we have a greater opportunity to choose the person we want to share our lives with based on love and common interests instead of skin color. So tell me about your experiences. Do you think legalizing IR/MC marriages has helped change people’s attitudes or interests?

Comments

Very interesting. I never really thought about the history of interracial marriage. I think more and more it is becoming a non-issue in most places, for which I am grateful. Though I know there are still people who have problems with it.

It would be nice if one day we all learned how to not judge one another!

Thanks for sharing! Have a great day!
Dariel Raye said…
So true! I believe that day will come. One of my doctoral instructors made a poignant statement: most of the world's problems are rooted in ignorance, poverty, and insecurity. When we learn to feel better about ourselves, we won't feel the need to put others down. Thanks for your comment, Chantel.