I loved this part of her statement:

“I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.”

SO TRUE!!!

Thanks once again for sharing with me a powerful story of our history that I was not aware of!

Wow that was so beautiful! Made me cry!

wow i remember seeing a movie like this it may been about them because it was a true story

I read about this about a year ago b4 i got married to a white girl
yo gotta do a research lol

Awe thats so sweet Love will perserve through anything.

i remember seeing mr and mrs loving with lela rochon only 6 or 7 months ago. it was the first time i saw it and i loved it so much. its very powerful what they both stood and its very sad she died and at a young age aswell. r.i .p

I’ve got Mr & Mrs Loving on DVD and I love that film. I thought it was a moving story. But to read that ‘Not much of it was very true’ reminds me how much Hollywood film/TV movie romanticises or maybe embellishes biographies. Also it makes me wonder what actually happened in real life.

Why would you want to marry you oppressor …I cant understand black people

This was my tip, excellent writeup J Dakar!

This is my favorite quote: “I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.”

They had the best surname for a case about the right to love…and her daughter’s surname, Fortune, ain’t bad either!

#9 aka DREW

Not every single white person is racist.

@9

Did you get the concept of this story?

Not only did true LOVE overcome everything. But those who focus on race and mind other people’s business usually don’t have that persons best interest at heart.

Her husband never oppressed her. He Loved her and fought for their marriage.

Just because the sheriff & his deputies were white. She shouldn’t marry or like any white person?

Your thinking represents the real stumbling block of progress in America.

Blind prejudice blanket generalization across the board.
And a true lack of LOVE for your fellow man.

Racism / Prejudice is how person thinks. If a group of them get together then you have a collectively dangerous group.

but there is a profound danger in the oppressed taking on the anger and ignorance of the oppressor!

And in closing if you or any family member has been oppressed raped hurt abused by any black person more than once try not to apply your thinking to the situation.

Bakunzi, ur comment was wonderful. I, on the other hand got keep it simple this morning. Stand for something or fall for anything, ( who said that ? well said)

Great Story Concrete loop! I am always interested to know about every aspect of our history.

Thank you sooo much for this Concreteloop. Educational & inspirational. Loved it. Now I must see the movie!!

I love these post I am going to look for the movie I remember it came on cable awhile back.

Wow! This is a great example about what happens when you fight for something that is right and something you truly believe in.

Its sad that Richard passed away in that accident but at least he had 8 years of enjoying his freedom to be married to his wife.

The laws that people actually put on the books…ugh! And the sheriff didn’t even have an issue boasting of his own ignorance! Wow!!!

@ #13, I think that was MLK that said that! I totally agree. Have a great day.

I love these black history spotlights, especially when you write them about black that have not been in the spotlight as others. It gives us insight on them as well. I saw the movie a while ago about the Lovings.

I bet this post won’t reach 100…smh it’s sad

Woooohoooo I woke up to the Black history spotlight!!!

Umm although Im not a huge fan of interracial marrying (you can call me what you want but pick up a book before you jump down my throat; The Isis Papers, The Fire Next Time, and Losing the Race are just a few for reference ).

I think this is a good and interesting story about going up against our cockamamey government and getting justice.

And i see that Virginia has a history of bein a backwards ass state… mm shame

a great love story….

Nice story, I just wish black people would fight just as hard to love each other. Take that how you want to.

ok while this may be a “cute” love conquers all please be aware of the fact that mr. loving was “LOVING” mildred when she was 11 years old and he was 17 so while the end result may have turned out good this story is far from a fairy tale romance….

I love this story. It shows that any couple if the love is strong and genuine you can conquer anything!!! Thanks for sharing this important moment in time.

And @ 9.

Did you not read the story? He was never her oppressor. He loved her with all his heart. No Oppressor would continue to struggle with you so that you both can be happy at all costs.

@llexdiamonz

You are so right!

Sad to say, but this is finally a spotlight on a person I am familiar with! I saw the movie, but I agree with # 8, now I wonder what really happened since the movie wasn’t accurate.

I read about this a while ago and recently saw it in the newspaper. It’s just crazy about the past segregation laws and other laws specifically designed against blacks that we are still learning about today. I’m glad they fought their rights and continued loving (pun intended) one another!

I was thinking the same thing about the age difference, but at that time, women were basically raised to get married so it really didn’t matter at what age so much. Its stories like this that helps me to keep faith in the idea that race relations can change. In the face of our current election and the way that white people are trying to railroad Barack and find ANY half-argument to make to bring him down, its easy to look at all white people with suspicion. This helps me realize that there are still some good white people out there, including Mrs. Loving’s husband and the non-Black Supreme Court justices of the time.

Wonderful story….I’m not a fan of interracial relationships either, but I do believe a person has the right to be with whoever they want. I’m so glad they fought for their love and helped changed history in the process.

i did see this movie on showtime. i also saw the headline of her obituary on the internet. i did not click it because i did not know it was her until now. “that ain’t even right” during the movie i always suspected an anonymous tip is what lead to them being caught. i suspected it was a family member. because who else knew they were there?? that is just my opinion. well she really went through alot. sorry to hear about her passing. there is still an issue with interracial marriages. it is acceptable for a black man to marry a woman who is not black. this man will be congratulated and praised but if a black woman marries a man who is not black, especially if he is white, black people, mainly the men, have the nerve to get upset and call her a sell out and that she did not give the “brotha” a chance. oh please!! do what makes you happy.

Great Story- I remember this a while ago.. It made me cry… Love conquers all.

They meet when she was 11 and he was 17. He was a family friend. Then over the years they started a courtship. We don’t know when they started dated. And you have to rememeber back then people married very early. My grandmother was married when she was 16. So it wasn’t uncommon for a 13 year old girl to date a 17 or 18 year old man. That would be unheard of now but back then it was concerned the norm.

I My father was born in the late 1940’s in Mississippi to a black women an a white man. Let just say this didn’t sit to while with a lot of white folks. And to this day my grandfather refuses to step foot in the state of Mississippi.

@llexdiamonz-

While I do agree that from the on-set it seems a bit odd for an 11yr. old to be married. Please try to understand that our culture has changed drastically since their time, and definitely since there was a time in history where this was deemed “normal” - unlike today. I think because of many things that have transpired in our time we’ve adopted the mindset that something like this is child molestation, however, in-fact you must consider the alternatives. Most girls by the age of 11 yrs. are already sexually active and let’s be honest, pregnant by 16.

I do not see anything wrong with this man taking her as a wife and living with her according to their beliefs. Did she feel oppressed, brain-washed? She loved this man and was a wife to him and spoke highly of him until her last day. As a society we need to learn to accept others’ cultures, life-styles and keep it movin’. I would much rather a young lady marry a man and live with him enjoying all the rights under law (financial support, legitimate children..etc) than to become pregnant out of wed-lock and have a “baby’s daddy”. I married at 18 and my husband was 21 yrs. 7 years later I am still married and a year away from my Bachelors Degree in Pre-Health Care studies. I can list many reasons as to why a marital situation is more ideal than what most girls are doing today.

No offense to those with children out of marriage - they are a blessing no matter how they come.

Let’s be open-minded - again to each their own.

My grandmother is the product of a legal marriage between a Native American/ Irish woman and a black/white man.

@ #9
Not all white people are racist- there are white people out there that stand up for us blacks and believe that we should be treated equally.

WOW! I’d heard of this case before, but never knew the story behind it! Virginia always comes up with some crazy backwards mess! thanks for posting this!

@ 30

If you don’t mind me asking- why don’t you support interracial relationships?

Great again. Thanks CL!

dope ass couple

That was a powerful article. I’m glad you posted this story Angela. Job well done!

I would call this black history.

“I can list many reasons as to why a marital situation is more ideal than what most girls are doing today.”

To each it’s own is right. Not every situation that is created in a marriage is better, just like you can name a few, so can I. I know a women who married a man and had six children ” in wedlock” and he decided to leave for good after the last one was born giving no support or contact. So please get off of your high horse, what does your degree have to do with the topic? Nobody knows who you are. Some of you people kill me with your comments. LMAO!

great post! I hope everyone read this because there are many people who still have hostility toward interraccial couples. Its time to wake up and realized how far we’ve come as the human race. We need to start loving and accepting each other. Its 2008! We’ve come too far.

DATZ WASSUP…I DIG!! LOL

This is absolutely awesome! Thanks for keeping us posted regarding history! I give my sympathy and regards to her family during this time of bereavement.

http://www.jhazzaisworld.wordpress.com

>>Love it!!!!

I love this story…extremely touching and appropriate if you look at the time we are living in now…ridiculously high divorce rates, the Sean Bell incident, Barack and Hillary….gas prices. (I know…I’m just saying)

I too wonder what the real story was since the movie wasn’t too true. I wish she would have written a book, but she probably wanted to keep her life private, even though she changed history, whether they wanted to or not. I see nothing strange about their ages when dating…times have changed…obviously!

At least she is now with the love of her life.

Id like to answer “Rini-Beauty” (sorry my screen cuts the articles off so i cant see the first half of your name).

I personally wouldnt date outside of my race because I feel like although we have come a very long way from like Jim Crowism and all that, but we havent come that far, and it wasnt that long ago when white people didnt want to go to the same school with my parents ya know, and now those same people would be the parents and grandparents of the person id be dating/marrying. And although the person id be dating might be open minded lets say we have kids and the family is stuck in there ways, that would create a problem.
2. I feel like the African American culture has been soo diluted and ya know comprimised i dont feel like I would be preserving my culture if i dated outside of my race. Being that I am a woman, and naturally men dominate relationships and the way things are done in relationship, therefore i feel that the male culture would dominate the relationship (which is why some people think its better/not as hurtful for black men to date outside)
3. I dont feel like a person of another culture can truely, fully, whole heartedly understand my struggle, which kinda ties into reason number 1. And i also feel like there are plenty of great black men to choose from, Im actually a young married person (21) to a black man at an IVY league university, doing great things with his life.

I think soooo many black people date outside of their race for validation, or so their kids can “have good hair” (yeah ive heard that ignorant mess before and I KNOW im not the only one). And i think that comes from a lack of pride in that person and their history, and yeah im not down with that at all…

But I DEFINITELY feel like people should do what they want with who they want. This is just my point of view on the issue.

I never knew this piece of History and am Glad yall blessed us with it. Kudos!

i usually don’t comment on much, but this story is amazing. as a person who has dated outside my race multiple times, it hits home and gives a piece of history that some may not know about.
thank you for this post.

while i’ll agree with most of you all’s comments about it being a different time SHE STILL WAS 11 and you expect me to believe YT waited until she was of age to “deflower” her as is stated it is beautiful he loved her enough to marry her and all
but 11 is still damn 11 and anybody from the south knows that there aint nothing
new about massa raiding the “slave” quarters imagine if the situation had been
reversed and she was an 11 year old white girl would have been some “strange”
fruit hanging from the tree if u know what i mean however i will not diminish the impact their relationship had on getting the law change but still this does not sit right with me as the mother of a 12 year old @ -uslimah i cannot see the rest of your name i agree with you i married my husband at 18 was not pregnant or anything mind you i was a virgin and we have been married for 20 years and while you make some valid points it is sad that some of our young women will never know the meaning of TRUE love so mothers and fathers teach them that by showing them what a good relationship is you dont have to be married and single moms get some good positive male and female role models in your childs lives we are losing too many future kings, queens, baracks and oprahs to these streets each one teach one and kudos on your education don’t stop there i have my masters in women s studies and working on my Phd in homeland security …. but you can have all the

degrees in the world but you got to live life baby -aint no school for that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#9: seems like you’ve already been schooled…

this is an incredible story. i’m glad y’all post these spotlights. it is IMPORTANT that we know our history….

while i’ll agree with most of you all’s comments about it being a different time SHE STILL WAS 11 and you expect me to believe YT waited until she was of age to “deflower” her as is stated it is beautiful he loved her enough to marry her and all
but 11 is still damn 11 and anybody from the south knows that there aint nothing
new about massa raiding the “slave” quarters imagine if the situation had been
reversed and she was an 11 year old white girl would have been some “strange”
fruit hanging from the tree if u know what i mean however i will not diminish the impact their relationship had on getting the law change but still this does not sit right with me as the mother of a 12 year old @ -uslimah i cannot see the rest of your name i agree with you i married my husband at 18 was not pregnant or anything mind you i was a virgin and we have been married for 20 years and while you make some valid points it is sad that some of our young women will never know the meaning of TRUE love so mothers and fathers teach them that by showing them what a good relationship is you dont have to be married and single moms get some good positive male and female role models in your childs lives we are losing too many future kings, queens, baracks and oprahs to these streets each one teach one and kudos on your education don’t stop there i have my masters in women s studies and working on my Phd in homeland security …. but you can have all the

degrees in the world but you got to live life baby -aint no school for that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was excellent. A great example of what love is suppose to be. I wish more people who are in relationships who claim to be in “love”, regardless of their nationality were dedicated to one another like that. Too bad the media did not give the whole truth in the movie besides the three children.

Thanks CL

@llexdiamonz-

Well said, I appreciate your response ma’am.

Stay Blessed.

i was going to say i remember seeing a movie about this yrs ago with lela rochon. I didnt know it was out on dvd i gotta look for it.

Great story. I love it.

Most of the comments were great, of course there was one: “Why would you marry your oppressor.”
A bit of a disseration is in order for that idiot, and others thinking in this manner: I’ll bet that person believes that “we” of afrcian descent are the original people. If so, everyone is african originally. Also, not all of any people are racist. Jesse Helms fathered a daughter with a black woman and kept quiet about it, while the same time financially supporting that child, he worked against legislation that would give that child equal rights. Now that’s racist.
This man and woman were married. If this woman and man had a good marriage, in God’s eyes it’s a beautiful thing. It amazes me how man people are against oppression, but want to oppress themselves.
Lastly, do you realize how many of our leading politicians, entertertainers, athletes, etc., are of mixed marriages: Halle Berry, Sen. Obama, Alicia Keys, Derek Jeter, and many, many very light-skinned ones whose grandparents are of another nationality. What do we do, ask these people to disown the other part of their heritage?
Black segregationist irritate me. Concentrate on these issues which are doing in our people: AIDS epidemic amongst our women, gang murders(Chicago’s in crisis right now), Crack and alcohol addiction, blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, 50% dropout rate, 37% prison populaton. Focus on that.
Focus on those

It was here that a skinny 11-year-old girl nicknamed “Bean” met a 17-year-old boy who was a family friend,

#55 good point !

i was like 11 !!!! what ???

really nice story
thnx ConcreteLoop!

What an inspirational story I enjoyed it very much. They where truly a brave couple dispite the odds etc. they fought for their love. It is very rear to hear a story like her’s but it makes u appreciate freedom a little bit more…

I never heard of this story nor have I seen the movie. After reading this post, I am motivated to do my own research about this couple. Great post

Great write up way to start my day!!!

The first case of this was the Pace v. Alabama which was set as the precedent for this particular case. This one seems to have more conditions, because the couple involved in the forementioned landmark case were a singular couple, without children or any shared assets..

Very Interesting J.Dakar…Kudos once again brother..

peace.love.happiness

This is what you call real ride or die love. Not doing a bid or holding his drugs..

That is why I will not be ashamed to love white men so openly and honestly! I love me some good white man and I can’t wait to marry my boo. Mrs. Loving, I admire you so much!!!!

#66: I wanted to mention that case because it illustrates just how much interracial couples were looked down upon: interracial extramarital sex was considered a felony, while extramarital sex was only a misdemeanor. Shows you just how backward Alabama can be…but it is the place I call home (for now, at least…)

Romantic, Beautiful, Sweet?!?!

I think it’s kind sick for a 17 year old to be attracted to an 11 year old.

I just read about them earlier this year

Their las name was totally appropriate. LOVING. At the end of the day, that’s what life is all about.

this is very interesting.. this is my first time posting a comment here.. keep up the good work guys!

i love her..she woulda been a good spokeswoman on the issue of gay marriage…she had it right…she had to experience it for herself to know that everyone should have the same rights….hell..maybe straight people that are married now should be told they cant be married before they get it as well…

@ Brown Hornet,

“The two began courting and when Mildred was 18, she became pregnant.”