Just 45 years ago, 16 states deemed marriages between two people of different races illegal.
But in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court considered the case of Richard Perry Loving, who was white, and his wife, Mildred Loving, of African American and Native American descent.
The case changed history - and was captured on film by LIFE photographer Grey Villet, whose black-and-white photographs are now set to go on display at the International Center of Photography.
Twenty images show the tenderness and family support enjoyed by Mildred and Richard and their three children, Peggy, Sidney and Donald.
The children, unaware of the struggles their parents face, are captured by Villet as blissfully happy as they play in the fields near their Virginia home or share secrets with their parents on the couch.
Their parents, caught sharing a kiss on their front porch, appear more worry-stricken.
And it is no wonder - eight years prior, the pair had married in the District of Columbia to evade the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which banned any white person marrying any non-white person.
But when they returned to Virginia, police stormed into their room in the middle of the night and they were arrested.
The pair were found guilty of miscegenation in 1959 and were each sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for 25 years if they left Virginia.
They moved back to the District of Columbia, where they began the long legal battle to erase their criminal records - and justify their relationship.
Following vocal support from the Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches, the Lovings won the fight - with the Supreme Court branding Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law unconstitutional in 1967.
It wrote in its decision: ‘Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man, fundamental to our very existence and survival.
‘To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State’s citizens of liberty without due process of law.’ [Read more]
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Out
Went out with my bestie and had a great time. However, there were some skinny bitches convulsing on the dance floor trying to shake what they didn’t have. I took it upon myself to show then how to move. I should have known this attempt was futile, but I had to try. It turns out they made rock your hips look like … shit I can’t even explain! It was that bad. But I still got down and had a blast. One and a half four loco’s later, I was walkin it out to some out back country song while whippin my hair back and forth! Ugh a great night~
Finally in the mood to workout
I just ordered the Insanity DVD’s and I’m super excited to get started…not. My friend coned me into getting them to take a 30 day challenge. I’ve done Insanity before, and I’m going to die lol. I guess I could stand to get toned. We shall see~
Another painting I finished of my friend. Green is his favorite color.
Ugh don’t wanna work
So I feel bad. Over winter break my mother bitched me out about not working enough because I never have any money of my own, but hey, who cares. Anyway, where I work, I actually help people, like save lives, but I don’t think I picked the correct field of study which sucks. I enjoy talking to people, making them feel better, but every time I know I have to go into work, I’m pissed that I have to go. That is a big indicator that I probably shouldn’t remain in my field which is why I’m still in school. Moving on to bigger and better things I suppose. I think what’s really the matter is I hate taking orders. I feel like I’m destined to be a boss mama! I know it takes time, but shoot, how long. I have to go into work tomorrow and I’m not looking forward to it sadly. I like making people feel better but I hate being the small woman on the lower end of the totem pole. We shall see how tomorrow goes. Hope I don’t fuck up~
Interesting drawing I did in class. It was difficult because you almost have to draw backwards if that makes sense. rather than shading in dark to light you go light to dark. It gave me a head ache.
Bringing in the New Year~
I consider myself a homebody. Not that I don’t enjoy going out to clubs or getting completely obliterated at a house party from time to time, it’s just that nine times out of ten I’d rather be at my apartment reading a book and drinking hot chocolate. Boring yeah, but when it’s a good book nothing else in the world matters, not even the death of Osama Bin Laden.
This past Saturday night was the one time out of ten that I actually wanted to go out. I was so stoked that our pastor didn’t have a “bringing in the New Year” at church so it was not mandated by my mother to be with the family for New Years (and believe me, that woman’s word is law, unless you want to be cut out of the will, medical insurance, car insurance ect. So if she say’s we’re going to church I ask what time!) My entire family and I were going our separate ways to spend our New Year as we saw fit. Earlier that day I had been struggling with my hair and finally found a look that worked for me. It’s a mix between the curly short style worn by the late great Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. It was marvelous! I tell ya I was a ten. So naturally I wanted to show it off.
Being that I was in my “home” city, and not in my “school” city (I’m a graduate student), I really didn’t know where I was going and who I was going with. I decided to go out with my younger sister (younger than me by one year). I figured she’d know where to go to have a good time since last year she spent her New Years at some hotel lighting 151 on fire in the bathroom sink. She was out with my little brother getting him cloths for the New Years party that he was going to. So i went and got dressed. I put on my jeggings, a nice white, grey, and black sweater that fell off my shoulders and accentuated my curves, and my black heels. I looked like a 12!
After I got dressed I saw my mother off to her New Years party. She told me that she’d be back to bring in the New Years at home. My sister got back with my brother and took one look at me and her eye’s went wide. She asked were I was going, and I said with her because I knew she’d be going somewhere fun, and I wanted to be kissed when the ball dropped dammit! She then told me that she was just going to the dollar movies with her friend then coming back home. I explained to her that that wasn’t an option because this time I really really wanted to go out, and she said okay.
After about 30 minutes, she told me she didn’t know of any parties going on and that we would just have to go to the movies. Oh the disappointment, I was so ready to be out on the town, to go to the bar, the club, anywhere, just not to the damn dollar movies! But, me being the nine times out of ten person reading rather than going out, I was clueless as to where to go to have a good time. Where I live (in Jewish town suburbia, and I’m not Jewish nor do I have anything against Jewish folk) there are hardly any good local bars, and no clubs.
So off we went to the F-ing dollar movies to see Contagion, which was pretty good. But, before we went there we stopped by a local pizza place and split a large pepperoni pizza, at the time it was heavenly considering all my hype and my killjoy of a sister. After the movie we were back at home at around 11:30pm waiting for my mom and other siblings. 11:55pm there is no one but my killjoy sister and I. I’m pissed and watching Cee lo perform imagine when my sister walks into the room with two wine glasses and sparkling grape juice. I was disgusted. I wanted my shots of liquid cocaine, and a random guy’s arm around my waist, but no, not today.
Lady Gagme and some other guy pressed a button at one minute till and the ball drop started. My sister poured me a glass full of grape juice and then herself. Ten seconds left and we were counting (still no sign of my mother and siblings). 12am came, we toasted, and drank grape juice, and danced around in circles in our TV room. At least I got to bring in my the New Year with a loved one. Then 1am rolls around and my mother comes stumbling in eyes glazed over. Dammit! I should have went with her! She said we weren’t going to church because it was so late so we stayed up, but at 8:30am, she changed her mind. FML. That service was five hours long, and my sister and I got the shits from that pizza we ate the day before.
Looks like it’s gonna be a good year~
tumblrbot asked: WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?
If I ever get over my fear of flying, I would love to visit Spain. It’s on my list of things to do before I die, also on my list is to kiss a Spaniard. For some reason I think this experience will chance me for the better.
