Long before the fight for Gay marriage was the fight for interracial Marriage. The similarities are astonishing.
In June of 1958, Richard Loving married Mildred Jeter in Washington D.C. This was no ordinary marriage because he was white and she was black. In that time, laws in their home state of Virginia forbade interracial marriage, thus the couple was forced to travel to another state to wed.
In June of 1958, Richard Loving married Mildred Jeter in Washington D.C. This was no ordinary marriage because he was white and she was black. In that time, laws in their home state of Virginia forbade interracial marriage, thus the couple was forced to travel to another state to wed.
After returning home weeks later, the two were arrested, pled guilty and sentenced to one year in prison for violating the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. The sentence was later suspended for 25 years on the condition the couple left the state. While living in Washington D.C., the Lovings appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and later the United States Supreme Court.
On June 12, 1967, the case was decided unanimously in favor of the Lovings. The decision finally put an end to the restrictions of marriage between different races, and allowed the Lovings to return home to Virginia.
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