The Loving Story: Richard Loving And Mildred Jeter

Gracie Jackson agj42 The Loving Story Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were both born and raised in Virginia. Mildred was African American, and Richard was Caucasian. On June 2, 1958 they decided to get married in Washington D.C., yet under the Virginia law. People did not approve of this decision because of their race. During the time of their case, integration was not completely accepted by others. Of course they were severely judged and put down, and the couple was bashed on by most of the surrounding people. They stuck through the battle though because they truly loved each other, and few people understood that, as anyone could conclude from the interviews within the documentary. Since their marriage was not legally accepted, they
were missing the economic benefits that married couples usually obtain.
The cost of taxes, Social Security and retirement benefits, and much more had only risen when they chose to be together. They were betting to lose way more than just positive judgment from this marriage. On July 14 following the wedding, they were contacted by the police and were sentenced to a year in jail and to flee the state for twenty-five years. Their decision to be married violated the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924. They packed their bags, moved away from their rural city, and settled in the District of Columbia. According to the law, they were supposed to be able to go back to Virginia and visit their old hometown on occasions to visit family. They did so during Easter and were ordered to leave once again. The case started growing and everyone’s opinions became involved. Some people even said that the laws were “meant to keep the
colored person down and the white person up.” The case became more serious and Loving v. Virginia was taken to Richmond with two lawyers, Robert Cohen and Phillip Hirschkop. Because the case was lost within the state’s hands, it was then taken to the Supreme Court. One prosecutor tried to claim that interracial marriage was wrong because of the negative and suffering effects it would have on children. His statement was beside the point and created more argument. In the end, the Loving’s won and the Virginia law of interracial marriage was put down according to an anonymous ruling on June 12, 1967. This ruling overturned bans in sixteen states and mixed marriages became legal in all of the United States, with Alabama being last in 2000. The constitution supported this law because of the statement that there is freedom to marry and that it is also a basic civil right of man. The Loving’s won their case and left a bold legacy that still carries on today. Eight years post of the ruling, a drunk driver killed Richard Loving. Overall, I was inspired by the Loving story because they stood up for what they believed, and without people similar to them with such strong voices, there would be no history or change for our nation.
I agree that they violated the law, but I also believe that the racial integrity laws were unnecessary. Just like the constitution implies in the Fourteenth Amendment, the people of the country have many freedoms, with the right to marry being one of them. The act of civil rights discusses that it is a violation if an individual is denied rights because of race or religion. The Loving’s marriage decision was denied primarily because of their race. Also, Kennedy’s Consumer Bill of Rights is comparable to this Supreme Court case. It makes points of how the people have the right to be heard, to have education, and to be protected. Though those rights focus more on products and services, it relates to the fact the Richard and Mildred still obtained their own personal rights to be heard and to have a normal life with their family, despite their mixed race marriage. Just because it was a white man and a colored woman, their children should not have had a risk to suffer within education, and their family should have had the right to live wherever they desired in the “Land of the Free” from the beginning. This case has been a landmark for America and segregation. Though interracial marriage is legal today, citizens are still facing difficulties with the acceptance. Each individual
is entitled to their own opinions, but the U.S. Constitution, civil rights, and the freedom the people uphold will forever be the greatest factor heard.
Works Cited

"Civil Rights." LII / Legal Information Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014

"Consumer Bill of Rights." Consumer Bill of Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Farnham, Alan. "Gays Denied Marriage: The Economic Cost." ABC News. ABC News

Network, 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.