‘Loving’: The real story about the interracial couple forbidden to marry

A time of prejudice

The year was 1958. Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton) a 24-year-old white man from Central Point, Virginia, fell in love with Mildred Jeter (Ruth Negga), an 18-year-old woman of mixed heritage that included African-American, European, Cherokee and Rappahannock ancestors. Though 1958 was the height of the Jim Crow era, Central Point had very progressive views on race, and white people and black people mixed together without incident. But that was not the case in other parts of Virginia.

One-drop rule

In 1924, the Viginia General Assembly passed the Racial Integrity Act to prevent interracial relationships. It divided society into two groups, white and colored, which included African-Americans and Native Americans. The Act defined anyone who had merely one drop of non-Caucasian blood as “colored” and made interracial marriage punishable by law.

The Pocahontas exception

Because many powerful Virginian families claimed that they descended from Native American princess Pocahontas, authorities backpedaled a bit and declared that a person could be considered white with as much as 1/16 Native American ancestry. This exception did not apply to Mildred Jeter since she was also African-American.

Becoming husband and wife

When Mildred discovered she was pregnant in 1958, she and Richard decided to go to Washington, D.C., to get legally married. After returning to Virginia, police in Central Point heard that the Lovings had married and issued arrest warrants.

The Lovings are arrested

On July 12, 1958, Sheriff R. Garnett Brooks and his deputies burst into the Lovings’ bedroom at 2 a.m. Richard claims he heard the knock, but before he could get up and answer it, police broke down the Lovings’ door. The couple were arrested and taken to jail, despite Mildred being pregnant.

Jail time

Richard was released the next day after paying $1,000 bail. Sheriff Brooks, however, refused to let him bail out Mildred. She was forced to spend five nights in jail before she was finally released, also with $1,000 bail.

Facing a year in prison

Because the Lovings violated Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act, they were facing serious jail time. Their lawyer thought that if they pleaded guilty, Judge Leon Bazile would forgo any prison time. The Lovings pleaded guilty but were shocked when the judge sentenced them to a year in jail anyway.

Exiled

The judge agreed to suspend the Lovings’ sentences if they left the state of Virginia for at least 25 years. The couple agreed and went to live to Washington, D.C., with Mildred’s cousin Alex Byrd and his wife Laura.

A letter to Robert F. Kennedy

Life in Washington, D.C., was challenging for the Lovings and their growing family. Used to the slow pace of country life, they found D.C. to be crowded and noisy. They also missed their families terribly. When their young son was hit by a car, they became desperate to get back to Virginia, the home they loved. Feeling that their civil rights had been violated, Mildred wrote a letter to United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy asking for help. Unable to help the Lovings directly, Kennedy referred their case to the Washington chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Living in secret

By 1964, the Lovings, including their three kids, moved back to Virginia to be closer to family and friends. They hid out in a secret farm house in King and Queen County. Meanwhile, their ACLU lawyers agreed to take their case for free. As they tried to repeal the harsh ruling in Virginia, Judge Bazile refused to back down, saying, “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement, there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

‘The Crime of Being Married’

After taking their case to the Virginia Supreme Court and being denied, the typically shy Lovings agreed to have their family photographed for Life magazine. Titled “The Crime of Being Married,” the article and photos presented a devoted American family and exposed their story to the nation.

United States Supreme Cout

In April 1967, 11 years after they were married, the Lovings’ case was heard by the United States Supreme Court. One of their lawyers, Bernard Cohen, argued that “the Lovings have the right to go to sleep at night knowing that if should they not wake in the morning, their children would have the right to inherit from them. They have the right to be secure in knowing that, if they go to sleep and do not wake in the morning, that one of them, a survivor of them, has the right to Social Security benefits.”

A ruling that would change America

The Supreme Court unanimously agreed to strike down all laws preventing interracial marriage, deeming them unconstitutional. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, “Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.”

This case would set precident for the legalization of gay marriage in 2015.

National Loving Day on June 12

To honor the court ruling that made America more free, Loving Day is celebrated every year on June 12.

Tragedy strikes

Sadly, Richard Loving was killed in an car accident when a drunk driver hit his car in 1975. Also in the car were Mildred and her sister Garnet. Both were injured and Mildred lost sight in one eye. Mildred never remarried and lived a quiet existance until she passed away in 2008.

‘Mr. and Mrs. Loving’

In 1996, the first feature film about the Lovings was made, starring Timothy Dalton as Richard and Lela Rochon as Mildred.

‘The Loving Story’

In 2011, the documentary The Loving Story was made for HBO using archival footage of the real Lovings.

Daughter Peggy Loving on the red carpet

The Loving cast celebrated with the Lovings’ real daughter, Peggy, on the red carpet for the movie’s premiere. Already getting Oscar buzz, Loving opens in theaters today.