to me anyway: Mixed Media Watch. it appears yesterday was another kind of wedding anniversary. i should know these things.
Today marks the 39th anniversary of the win that spurred all remaining states to overturn their anti-miscegenation laws. Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving were the couple behind the fight to give marriage rights to all interracial couples involving one white partner (a little known fact is that many of the states that prohibited a couple like Mildred and Richard from marrying would have had no problem with an Asian man and a black woman marrying. Similar to the one-drop rule, anti-miscegenation laws were meant to keep power and ownership of land and property within the white population. Once whites married people of color, the power would potentially be distributed/shared with spouses and mixed children).
On the anniversary of this win, we should think about how crazy it is that as of 1966 (before the Supreme Court overturned all anti-miscegenation laws), there were still 17 states across the country that prohibited interracial marriage. It’s also crazy that so many people don’t even realize that this case exists — that at one time, it was illegal for mixed families to exist in many places. Think about that, and ask yourself, how far have we come? Sure, it’s legal now, but I would caution anyone against celebrating this win and stopping there. If we remain satisfied with the basic rights we are given, we are in huge trouble. Having the right doesn’t negate the fact that there are still many ways that interracial couples are targeted and subjected to racism and discrimination.
Tags: race, ethnicity, anti-miscegenation, happy anniversary = Powered by Qumana
