Rest in peace, Mildred Loving.

[orichalcum]

Who was Mildred Loving? The African-American woman whose love for a white man struck down the law prohibiting interracial marriage in the United States in 1967, in the wonderfully named Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia. It's because of Mildred Loving - and the ACLU, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy - that someone like Barack Obama is allowed to ride in a car safely with a white woman, and that his daughters can marry whomever they choose.

Her husband died in a car accident only 8 years after they were allowed to move back to Virginia, but Mrs. Loving is survived by two children, eight grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. Those kids are the future of America, I hope.

Comments

[msarden.livejournal.com]

Here's the speech she gave on the 40th Anniversary of that decision.

http://www.positiveliberty.com/2007/06/mildred-lovings-statement.html

I think it's pretty awesome that she took that opportunity to support equal rights in marriage for GLBT people, too.

[ellinor.livejournal.com]

and that his daughters can marry whomever they choose

. . . as long as he's male, or they move to Massachusetts.

But Mrs. Loving's example continues to serve us in the quest for marriage equality. She is remembered by many as a crucial pioneer.

Thanks for the post.

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

Well, Obama;s daughters are 9 and 6, so I guess I'm being optimistic for the state of things 15 or so years from now, when a lot of the homophobes will , um no longer be voting?

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

But that said, yes, her example is one step along the way to full equality, as she herself recognized.

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the reminder. But that said, yes, her example is one step along the way to full equality, as she herself recognized.

[meepodeekin.livejournal.com]

Zichrona le Bracha.

And also, your tags are a bit of a disconnect. :)

[siercia]

This news has left me oddly sad this week. of course, I have a lot more to be grateful for than the average bear.

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

Well, she had a good life and made a real difference; that's not something everyone can say.

[kid-cthulhu.livejournal.com]

Thanks for doing this, Ori. It's a lovely tribute. When my boss and I travelled last on business, I had made the car reservation. When we got to the car rental counter, I needed to have him put on the car as a driver. We were laughing and joking as we got to the counter and the first question the counter person asked was "Are you married"?

A black man and white woman can be friends, can travel together, can be presumed to be married with a smile rather than a grimace or a sneer of hate. Thanks, Mildred.

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

Yep. I grew up on the stories of my mom's car being shot at and her door repeatedly egged when she was helping organize MLK's funeral and thus traveling with a lot of black men. I'm proud and grateful that we live in a country now where I don't have that fear.