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June 12th is Loving Day
Lifestyle

Loving Day – U.S. Interracial Marriage Made Legal in 1967

Mildred & Richard Loving led the way to legally make the banning of interracial marriage illegal simply by not accepting the laws that violated their civil rights to share their love and be married. On Loving Day, June 12th, we annually celebrate their bravery and the result of their case.

June 12th is Loving Day

About Loving Day:  

Loving v. Virginia 1967 – the final ruling of this Supreme Court case made anti-miscegenation illegal (these were laws that enforced racial segregation in marriage and intimate relationships – basically making it illegal to marry outside of your own race). By law, people of different racial backgrounds – most notably & controversially black and white – who were married and who wanted to get married, could legally do so in the states that had previously forbade it. Each June 12, we in America commemorate this triumphant feat. Happy Loving Day!  I didn’t even know it existed until 2014 when I watched the documentary on Netflix. I highly recommend it.

Quick Facts About Loving Day and Loving vs. Virginia:

  • The Loving vs. Virginia U.S. Supreme Court ruling was cited as precedent in U.S. federal court cases about restrictions on same-sex marriage, meaning the fight that the Lovings gave is continuing to help protect the rights of more Americans to this day.
  • The court’s decision was unanimous – 9 to 0 voting to overturn the criminal convictions that the Lovings faced for being wed, as well as striking down laws that forbade two people of different races to marry each other.

What Loving Day means to me:

Family means the world to me. Reaching out to my family members, calling to check on my nephew and younger cousins and being on the small committee that plans our family reunion – these all keep us connected. My NeeNee, my mom’s eldest sister, makes sure to keep our ancestry.com account updated with all of the happenings with family near and far. Our family tree stops at a dead halt just a few branches up though.

Mama Mabel

My maternal Great-Grandmother, Mabel

Grandpa Lucian

My Grandfather, Lucian (Mabel’s son)

Many people of European descent can trace their family members back several generations and understand the legacy that they come from. I, being the result of the great American mixing pot, particularly African-American, do not have that luxury. Aside from the fact that slave owners successfully broke all ties of African slaves and their home and lineage, and obliterated their African traditions, I also come from a diverse lineage. Stories of one Granny telling me about “my big fat Indian grandfather” and memories of asking my other Granny “who is that white man on the wall?” (her late husband/my grandfather – who is actually black, possibly with white ancestors) stick out most in my mind. Loving someone of another color was illegal and dangerous, so shame, fear, and law-breaking were associated with interracial relationships. While diversity in all aspects is being shown in a positive light in recent times, before the 1970s, diversity in love was viewed as especially heinous. I still ponder in my mind how in the world the color of skin can create such hate, but I know I will never understand it.  I can only promote love.

My great-grandmother, lovingly called “Mama Mable,” is of multiracial heritage. It is believed that her father was a “mulatto” (a derogatory term describing someone of biracial or multiracial heritage). She remembered being raised earlier on by a white school teacher after her mother and grandmother died. Not much else is known of my family’s heritage before her generation. Imagine how much more complete my recorded family tree would be in the absence of racism and laws that sought to keep people of different races separated.

Thanks to people like the Lovings:

I like to think that my great-grandmother and our ancestors are smiling down on me right now. She never knew her real heritage, and she never knew me, but the chains that forbade the former have been broken. The majority of her great-great grandchildren are multiracial, and it is perfectly fine. My best friends come from a wide range of races and ethnicities. I am in a loving interracial relationship, and am blessed to have not experienced any discrimination. The world is still not perfect, but many people have let go of hatred and embraced diversity. We have a long way to go, but thank goodness we aren’t where we used to be. Just a suggestion, though: Let’s make everyday Loving Day 💗

Loving Day

Updates – My Family Celebrating Loving Day Over the Years

Loving Day 2015

Our first Loving Day together.


Loving Day 2016

We got married and were 6 months pregnant with Little Boo on Loving Day 2016.


Loving Day 2017

Loving Day 2017

We got to enjoy Loving Day with this little cutie, our Little Boo, in 2017.


Loving Day 2018

Brunch with the fam on Loving Day 2018.


Loving Day 2019

Loving Day 2019

Apparently we sat at home and had the nerve to not even take pictures! Enjoy another picture of Mildred & Richard Loving.


Loving Day 2020

Loving Day 2020

At home photoshoot during the pandemic on our anniversary / Loving Day 2020.


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The Comments

  • Kimberly Stroh
    June 12, 2015

    I had never heard of this holiday! I don’t even think I knew about the Supreme Court ruling. I will definitely watch the Netflix documentary. It’s a beautiful holiday- thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Kimberly Stroh
      June 14, 2015

      Thank you for stopping by and reading it! I feel its not as well known as it should be, knowing history like that is important so that we don’t repeat it in different situations.

      Reply
  • Roxanne
    June 12, 2015

    This concept still shocks me! I have several “interracial” couple friends and it blows my mind it was every a law they couldn’t be married. Thanks for posting this. I did not know about Loving Day … going to share the love!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Roxanne
      June 14, 2015

      Thanks for sharing the love & for stopping by! 🙂

      Reply
  • Janeth Paez
    June 12, 2015

    What a sweet story. I love History and have heard of the Loving’s. I need to find that documentary. Cheers to Love!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Janeth Paez
      June 12, 2015

      It’s called the Loving Story! Historical fiction is my favorite, but I love real stories like this too 🙂

      Reply
  • Shelly
    June 12, 2015

    This hits very close to home because I am in an interracial marriage. My husband is Korean and I am Caucasian and of course, our beautiful daughter is mixed. I also have several cousins who are African-American and Caucasian mixed. Fortunately, I was very blessed that my parents have always taught us that God doesn’t see color and neither should we.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Shelly
      June 14, 2015

      That is a blessing. Some folks don’t talk about it at all and some folks spread hate, so thank God for your parents! Diversity is beautiful, and your family sounds lovely!

      Reply
  • Mary, Living a Sunshine Life
    June 12, 2015

    I love your story! This is fantastic and Happy Loving Day to you! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Mary, Living a Sunshine Life
      June 14, 2015

      Thanks, Mary 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  • Chelsea
    June 12, 2015

    Hey girl! first of all- off topic but I love the name Addie. That’s what I want to name my first baby! Second of all- it’s so awesome how close you are with your family!!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Chelsea
      June 14, 2015

      Aaaahhhhh, another Addie in the world. DO IT! I was named for my paternal grandma, who I was blessed to have known well 🙂 Thank you, Chelsea. Much love!

      Reply
  • Christa Castillo
    June 12, 2015

    Thank you so very much for this information! I didn’t know that this was actually a situation. I’m very excited to watch the documentary and learn more about this. I am in a interracial relationship myself and we do have a son together. We are not married yet and I’m so very glad that thanks to the individuals who fought for our right to get married in the future.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Christa Castillo
      June 14, 2015

      They are a blessing to us all, Christa. I love that Mildred was even progressive when it came to same sex marriage. When reporters would ask her about it and if she knew that she was promoting it in a way, too – she let them know that love is love, no matter what!

      Reply
  • Sevi
    June 12, 2015

    Every year I’m reminded how lucky I am that this ruling came down. Thank you for sharing your beautiful family history <3

    Happy Loving Day!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Sevi
      June 13, 2015

      It truly is a blessing. Thanks for letting me share your story on here, too, Sevi! 🙂

      Reply
  • Sadie Lankford
    June 12, 2015

    This is one of the sweetest posts I’ve ever read. 🙂 So happy for you – and many others. Going to tweet this post! Happy Loving Day!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Sadie Lankford
      June 14, 2015

      Thank you Sadie, and for all the social media love you shared, too! 🙂

      Reply
  • Velaundra{at}Velsworld.com
    June 12, 2015

    This is such a beautiful post with a powerful message. Thanks for sharing and also making me aware of this Holiday 🙂

    Reply
    • Addie
      Velaundra{at}Velsworld.com
      June 14, 2015

      Thanks for stopping by Velaundra! I’m glad you’re aware of it now, I hope you spread the word and the love 🙂

      Reply
  • Amanda
    June 12, 2015

    i LOVE this. What a cool celebration, a cool and catchy title (originally the reason I clicked over,) what a cool….just everything. So happy you’ve never faced discrimination in your relationship. I dated a Dominican (who looked black) for 2 years once, I live in the south, and I cant say the same. <3

    Reply
    • Addie
      Amanda
      June 14, 2015

      Hahaha, yaye for the title working! I’m trying to improve those catchy titles. The south can be so rough about it, and we are blessed to be surrounded by a very diverse community. I pray that it stays that way.

      Reply
  • Jen K
    June 13, 2015

    I love the old pictures! As Shelly said my parents taught us not to see race. My mother is part Chinese and was always bullied in school. I have made sure to teach my boys to accept everyone. We need more love in the world. Thanks for sharing your story!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Jen K
      June 14, 2015

      Thanks, Jen! Its bad your mom had to go through that, but I’m glad it taught her to teach love, and you’re still instilling that into future generations! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply
  • Taylor S.
    June 13, 2015

    I absolutely love this post more than you’ll ever know! That last line really resonates. So beautiful. Happy Loving Day to you and yours! <3

    Reply
    • Addie
      Taylor S.
      June 14, 2015

      I’m so glad you do, Taylor. I was somewhat hesitant about writing about it originally, so your words mean so much to me! 🙂

      Reply
  • Kelly | Typically Simple
    June 14, 2015

    I never knew of this day until I read your post so thank you for sharing your story!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Kelly | Typically Simple
      August 5, 2015

      Thanks for reading, Kelly! Glad to share the information with anyone 🙂

      Reply
  • Shelley Mc
    June 14, 2015

    Great story, thanks for sharing.
    I never knew of Loving Day before.
    It is sad that even today people are against interracial love.

    Reply
  • Iryna Bychkiv
    June 15, 2015

    I didn’t even know about that law. Sad things were happening those days. The whole slavery thing was sad. We’re happy those days are over. But we definitely have to remember the history, teach it our kids and make sure it will never happen again. Thanks for sharing this story!

    Reply
  • Chari
    June 15, 2015

    Love this post! The pictures are timeless and beautiful! Happy Loving Day!

    Reply

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Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
oldworldnew
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Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
2 weeks ago
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Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱

I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. 

I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. 

Don’t push it, just live it. 

Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱 I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. Don’t push it, just live it. Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! 

It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. 

Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
•
Follow
🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
3/5
Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩

Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️

TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂)

#lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
oldworldnew
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Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩 Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️ TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂) #lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
2 months ago
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Do you reuse gift wrap?

Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season:

⭐️ tablecloths
⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts)
⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr)
⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in)
⭐️ Pillowcases
⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens)

As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. 

Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
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Follow
Do you reuse gift wrap? Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season: ⭐️ tablecloths ⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts) ⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr) ⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in) ⭐️ Pillowcases ⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens) As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
5 months ago
View on Instagram |
5/5
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