The civil right's era had many, many heroes, some of which don't get the credit they deserve. Some of which have receded to the background of our history, despite the large role they played in that history.
Mildred Loving was one of those. She, the black wife of a white man, who took her case against the Commonwealth of Virginia for the right to be so all the way to the Supreme Court, and won.
She died Friday from undisclosed reasons. She was 68.
The case of Loving v. Virginia is almost as important to this country as was Brown v. Board of Education. In 1958, an 18 year old Mildred fell in love with Richard Loving in Washington DC and married him. When they moved back to the Commonwealth, they were quickly arrested for breaking anti-miscenegation laws.
AP Story.
Returning to their Virginia hometown, they were arrested within weeks and convicted on charges of "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth," according to their indictments.
The couple avoided a year in jail by agreeing to a sentence mandating that they immediately leave Virginia. They moved to Washington and launched a legal challenge a few years later.
That landmark case struck down bans on interracial marriage in 17 states.
Like all true heroes, Mildred downplayed her role in history, saying "she wasn't trying to change history — she was just a girl who once fell in love with a boy."
Thank you, Mrs. Loving. You will be missed.