40th Anniversary of Loving v. Virginia Today

On June 12, 1967 the United States Supreme Court released its landmark, unanimous Loving v. Virginia decision which declared the right to marry a fundamental right and invalidated statewide bans on interracial marriage in 16 states. The National Black Justice Coalition and Faith in America have released the following simple but powerful YouTube video drawing the parallels between bans on interracial marriage 40 years ago and the current bans on same-sex marriage today.




In addition, an organization called Loving Day celebrates the anniversary of the Loving decision which legalized interracial marriages nationwide by acting as a clearinghouse of information on the issue of interracial marriage and promoting public celebrations of interracial relationships and multi-racial individuals. At their website they have an amazing interactive color-coded map which graphically depicts the changing legal status of "miscegenation" over time in U.S. history. (They also have a list with excerpts of the statutes banning interracial marriage.)


Many blogs are covering the anniversary, with notable posts by Lurleen at Pam's House Blend, Rod at Rod 2.0 and Jack over at Jack and Jill Politics. Also, the above picture of Mildred (Jeter) Loving and Richard Loving, the plaintiffs in the Loving v. Virginia case has been running on progressive blogs for weeks as an ad for Freedom To Marry's promotion of the 40th anniversary as a way to call attention to same-sex marriage equality.

So, today, give someone of a different race a kiss or a hug and wish them a "Happy Loving Day!"