BHM: Loving v. Virginia changing the standard of love

DELMARVA – This month we’re celebrating Black History Month, but today is Valentine’s Day, and a special case has made the link between the two.

“Loving vs. Virginia is a case about love, persistence, and basic fairness under the U.S. constitution,” Professor Hoff tells 47ABC.

This case changed the way love was looked at years ago, so everyone could love who they wanted to publicly. Professor Hoff of Delaware State University tells us this all started before the law was challenged by the late, Richard and Mildred Loving were even born. Richard a white male and Mildred an African American woman. In 1924 in the state of Virginia interracial marriage was ruled forbidden. Professor Hoff tells more about the Lovings story:

The Lovings were high school sweethearts who wanted to get married in their state. However, they couldn’t so they went to DC to get married. When they came back, police found out and they were arrested. The first court case decision was for the Lovings to do 1 year in jail and shockingly enough, the Lovings did plead guilty in 1959. However, the judge offered to suspend it if they left the state and didn’t return for 25 years. They lived in DC for 6 years. The family was having financial issues and didn’t like the fact that they couldn’t visit family. The case raised awareness and more people got involved.

“Attorney General Robert Kennedy got involved and a class-action suit was filed involving the Lovings and other folks,” Professor Hoff tells us.

In that same year, a Virginia court upheld the original convictions of the Lovings and in early 1965 the U.S. District court delayed their decision. After many court cases whether on the state level or federal level, eventually, the vote was unanimously 9 to 0 which ultimately reversed the law that made interracial marriage unconstitutional.

The professor adds this is a story we can all relate to: meeting someone and falling in love and wanting to maintain that link with each other through thick and thin. Professor Hoff emphasizes this is not something you see often.

But it happened, Happy Valentines Day.