Loving Day Celebrates Love that Knows No Racial Bounds

Photo by Willie Davis.

Love was complicated for Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, an inter­racial couple living in Virginia in the 1950s. The pair was arrested for eloping, but rather than separate, they fled to Washington, D.C., where interracial marriage was legal. Their case eventually made it to the Supreme Court; the resulting ruling in Loving v. Virginia made it illegal for a state to enforce laws banning interracial marriage.

Graphic designer Ken Tanabe created Loving Day (lovingday.org) in 2004, after stumbling across online information about the Loving case. People around the world now celebrate Loving Day on June 12, the anniversary of the 1967 decision. The couple at left is attending the 2009 Loving Day festivities in New York City. 

Berit Anderson wrote this piece for America: The Remix, the Spring 2010 issue of YES! Magazine. Berit is an editorial intern at YES!

See More Signs of a New American Identity:

Race Exhibit		Blended Nation		Loving Day, June 12		Tenant's Rights		US Social Forum		Colors Restaurant
Choosing Integration		The Hapa Project		Jen Chau, Swirl, Inc.		Teja Arboleda

YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps. Anderson, B. (2010, February 19). Loving Day Celebrates Love that Knows No Racial Bounds . Retrieved February 10, 2012, from YES! Magazine Web site: http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/america-the-remix/loving-day-celebrates-love-that-knows-no-racial-bounds. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License