Loving Day, commemorating the 1967 US Supreme Court decision between the Lovings vs Virginia, which struck down all US State Laws banning interracial marriage, is June 12. In addition to there being a movement right now to make Loving Day a Federal holiday, there is also a gorgeous-looking film about the Lovings coming out from Focus Features!
Loving, starring Ruth Negga as Mildred Loving and Joel Edgerton as Richard Loving, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival to critical raves. Here’s the official synopsis from Focus Features:
From acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols, Loving celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry – and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since.
Check out the first clip from the film, in which Richard Loving asks the question that will change everything:
And also, here are some stills from the film:
It makes sense that our country put more of an emphasis on Loving Day. After all, our current President is the product of an interracial marriage. What’s more, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center Report (U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey), 15.1% of all new marriages that year were between people of different races, and that number continues to grow. As I get older, I know fewer and fewer people who identify as just one race or ethnicity. And all of this would be illegal were it not for the Lovings’ fight.
Now, there’s a petition to the White House to make Loving Day a federal holiday! As stated in the petition, “Despite [our] numbers, we have struggled with racial discrimination from all sides. We have been underrepresented in public policy, health care issues, media, and more. We ask the federal government to lead the change by acknowledging us.”
I reached out to Ken Tanabe, the gentleman with LovingDay.org responsible for the petition, and asked him what it would mean if Loving Day were a federal holiday. He responded saying:
If Loving Day was recognized with a federal observance, it would be deeply meaningful to tens of millions of multiracial Americans and families. It would be a historic celebration of an underrepresented community. It would acknowledge the experiences and struggles faced by past generations. And it would give young people a sense of pride and connection to their diverse cultural heritage.
Here’s hoping that the US Government considers making this happen, and that Loving Day as a federal holiday encourages more understanding and love in our too-often divided nation.
Meanwhile, Loving is set to open in November of this year.
(images courtesy of Focus Features)
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