Who was Mildred Loving, you ask? Mildred Loving was one of the most important civil rights activists during the 1960s though she had no wish to become an activist at all. In 1958, Mildred Loving and her husband Richard were arrested for getting married. Yes, married. Mildred was black and Richard was white, and their marriage violated the law in the state of Virginia.
Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia was a watershed in civil rights law. In 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court decided Loving. In a 9 to 0 ruling, the Court declared Virginia law unconstitutional — no state had the right to deny marriage on the basis of race. Only 41 years ago were people given the right to marry whomever they wanted in the United States.
Mrs. Loving died of pneumonia this past Friday, survived by children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a historic decision granting freedom to many.
eammasuoka
