Mildred Loving, matriarch of interacial marraige, dies
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- clarity_kat
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RICHMOND, Va. - Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said Monday.
Peggy Fortune said Loving, 68, died Friday at her home in rural Milford. She did not disclose the cause of death.
Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.
Her husband died in 1975. Shy and soft-spoken, Loving shunned publicity and in a rare interview with The Associated Press last June, insisted she never wanted to be a hero — just a bride.
"It wasn't my doing," Loving said. "It was God's work."
Mildred Jeter was 11 when she and 17-year-old Richard began courting, according to Phyl Newbeck, a Vermont author who detailed the case in the 2004 book, "Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers."
She became pregnant a few years later, she and Loving got married in Washington in 1958, when she was 18. Mildred told the AP she didn't realize it was illegal.
"I think my husband knew," Mildred said. "I think he thought (if) we were married, they couldn't bother us."
But they were arrested a few weeks after they returned to Central Point, their hometown in rural Caroline County north of Richmond. They pleaded guilty to charges of "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth," according to their indictments.
They avoided jail time by agreeing to leave Virginia — the only home they'd known — for 25 years. They moved to Washington for several years, then launched a legal challenge by writing to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who referred the case to the American Civil Liberties Union.
- This is a truly amazing woman who didn't let anything stand between her and her love. As somebody who is in an interracial relationship I owe her a great debt of gratitude, and while she is gone from this world she will never be forgotten.
Peggy Fortune said Loving, 68, died Friday at her home in rural Milford. She did not disclose the cause of death.
Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.
Her husband died in 1975. Shy and soft-spoken, Loving shunned publicity and in a rare interview with The Associated Press last June, insisted she never wanted to be a hero — just a bride.
"It wasn't my doing," Loving said. "It was God's work."
Mildred Jeter was 11 when she and 17-year-old Richard began courting, according to Phyl Newbeck, a Vermont author who detailed the case in the 2004 book, "Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers."
She became pregnant a few years later, she and Loving got married in Washington in 1958, when she was 18. Mildred told the AP she didn't realize it was illegal.
"I think my husband knew," Mildred said. "I think he thought (if) we were married, they couldn't bother us."
But they were arrested a few weeks after they returned to Central Point, their hometown in rural Caroline County north of Richmond. They pleaded guilty to charges of "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth," according to their indictments.
They avoided jail time by agreeing to leave Virginia — the only home they'd known — for 25 years. They moved to Washington for several years, then launched a legal challenge by writing to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who referred the case to the American Civil Liberties Union.
- This is a truly amazing woman who didn't let anything stand between her and her love. As somebody who is in an interracial relationship I owe her a great debt of gratitude, and while she is gone from this world she will never be forgotten.
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- clarity_kat
- 11 days ago
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She was 11 and he was 17 when they began the relationship?? Wow.
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Wow it is. Sad that she is gone! With out her some of us would not be born - or at least it would still have to be on the DL.
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To think we had to fight to make it legal in the first place bothers me a great deal..
Her fight will live on history! She is truly immortal now.-
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- Anticore75
- 10 days ago
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As a black woman, I am grateful because she was sending a message that you can love someone no matter wha race they are.
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Her entire story is nothing short of inspirational. It just goes to show how powerful a weapon love can be. Isn't it amazing how much American society has changed since the time of their marriage? She and her husband will be remembered years from now, and together they will beautifully symbolize the power of true love.
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- MissJonaLyn
- 10 days ago
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Thank god for Couples like them...Where at a time there were Openly Racist Closed Minded A'Holes Ruled over Congress...these individual fought for a great Cause...LOVE..LOVE..LOVE...Thank god for LOVE..
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- Day2Day1nSociety
- 10 days ago
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Thank you Mrs. Mildred Loving! Your truth of heart is much appreciated and may we all learn something of the unconditional and free expression of love! Nameste!
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- treeboi666
- 7 days ago
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Interracial marriage, gay marriage, straight marriage....does the government have any right to keep laws on marriage at all? That is to say, should we have to go to our government to obtain permission to marry? I think that is the issue that should be attacked. Not to get the government to change it's laws regarding marriage, but to get the government to eliminate it's laws regarding marriage.
Many people want the government to change it's laws because they want the benefits given by the government for married couples, i.e income tax relief. And that's another governmental intrusion into our lives that's just accepted. Little does anyone know that government collection of taxes from individual wages is also completely illegal too.
It's all about freedom and power for the individual, not corporations and not our government.-
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- greenmeansgo
- 2 days ago
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We are the government. There is no us and them, only us. While "government" interference in matrimonial affairs is biased and unjust, it is OUR responsibility as individuals to maintain our personal freedom by being involved in civic duties, voting and being informed with all the information. This ideal applies to all issues, matrimonial or otherwise. As far as the taxation issue, check out this link.
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- treeboi666
- 2 days ago
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