#TBT: The First Loving Day

 

     The 1960s was the height of the civil rights movement, with the passage of landmark legislation in 1964, 1965, and 1968, the appointment of Robert Weaver and Thurgood Marshall as the first black cabinet member and Supreme court justice in 1966 and 1967, respectively, the celebration of the first Kwanzaa in 1966, the March on Washington in 1963, the assassination of leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Kennedys in 1963 and 1968, and much more. 

     One day that is often forgotten is Loving Day, first celebrated in 1967 and observed annually on June 12th. This holiday celebrates the landmark Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which ruled that laws banning interracial marriage were unconstitutional. On its 55th anniversary, let's make it a federal holiday!

     Also on its 55th anniversary, let's remember that, in 2022, interracial marriage is still under threat. Senator Mike Braun of Indiana suggested that interracial marriage should be left up to the states after the Supreme Court revealed its intent to strike down Roe v. Wade. It's not just abortion on the copping block, but gay marriage, contraceptives, privacy, and, yes, interracial marriage. The future the Republican Party sees for America is in 1867.