June 12 marks an important date in the struggle for racial justice. On that date in 1967, the Supreme Court issued a momentous decision in the case of Loving v. Virginia. The court overturned laws against interracial marriage that were still in force in 16 states including Virginia. The case was brought by Richard and Mildred Loving who married in Washington, DC in 1958. Their marriage was considered illegal in their home state of Virginia based on the draconian so-called Racial Integrity Act of 1924. Just a few weeks after returing to Virginia, they were arrested in the middle of the night and taken to jail. At their trial, the judge found them guilty and gave them the choice of a year in jail or exile from Virginia for 25 years. In his decision, the judge claimed that racial segregation was the will of God:
“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”
Mildred and Richard Loving chose exile and moved to Washington, DC where they obtained legal help to challenge their conviction. It took nearly nine years for their case to reach the Supreme Court. The decision in their favor struck down the remaining laws against interracial marriage throughout the country, and the Lovings returned to Virginia. On June 12, 2007, the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, Mildred wrote about their experience and how it related to the struggle for marriage equality based on sexual orientation:
“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. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights. I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.”
Marriage equality is the law of our land, but there are those who are trying to overturn it based on their concepts of God’s will. The long discredited words of a Virginia judge in 1958 stand as a warning today against theological concepts that deny people basic human rights. Many of us who follow Jesus affirm marriage equality based on the inherent value of every person and the inclusive love of God that finds expression in the life long committed relationship we call marriage. On June 12, please take time to give thanks for the resistance of Mildred and Richard Loving that led to a step forward in the struggle for justice for all people The short video posted below provides a summary of Loving v. Virgina.