The Nation should be mourning the lost of the death of Mildred Loving, but it was only today that I heard about her passing. Her challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to the landmark 1967 Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide. Loving died May 2 at the age of 68. Loving issued a statement last year on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision, in which she wrote: “I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others.”
“With tremendous strength and grace, the Lovings challenged the immorality of anti-miscegenation laws that sought to deprive Americans of one of the most personal decisions they would ever make: whom to marry. In doing so, the Lovings altered history for the better.”— Acting Executive Director Rea Carey of the Task Force.
Here is a link from NPR on the 40th anniversary of the Loving landmark case: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10889047
Photo credit: NPR
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