TheChangingTimes

Ms.IngramsUWRT1102Class

2May2015

TheLovingsLegacyAliveToday

Americain2060

by: Crystal Davidson

by: Crystal Davidson

Can you imagine living in a country

whereitwasillegaltomarrythepersonyou
love? Where it was inhumane to produce
offspring with your partner? Well that
country was the United States about sixty
years ago. In fact, the state of Virginia
banned individuals tomarryoutsideoftheir
race by the Racial Integrity Act. But that
didntstoptheLovings.

Mildred Loving, a young African

American and Native American fell in love
with Richard Loving who was white. The
two metin grade school intheirhometown
Caroline County, and decided to get
married after Mildred became pregnant at
age 18. Due to Virginias Racial Integrity
Act of 1924 (an antimiscegenation law),
the couple drove over 90 miles away to
WashingtonD.C.tosayIdo.

CrystalDavidsonandAustinLewisgettingpromready

IsSwirlingtheNewTrending
Topic?
by: Crystal Davidson

There have been an abundant amount of

students dating interracially or as
teenagers and young adults like to say,
swirling. Think ofthe icecream machine
that allows
you to mix
different
flavors and
colors all in
one cone.
These
flavors
represent
different
ethnicities
and races that combine to create one
relationship.

Thegrowingtrend of interracialdatingand
marriage is resulting in a more
multicultural America. Studies show that
together with blacks, Hispanics, and
Asians, thesecurrent minority willoneday
represent a majority of the U.S.
population. Multiracial Americans are a
small butfastgrowingdemographicgroup.
Nine million multiracial individuals of the
minority population reside in America
today. The U.S. Census Bureau first
provided the option to select more than
one race in 2000. During that census6.8
million people did so. By the year 2010,
that number jumped toalmost9million.A
recent study by Pew Research explains
that in 1960, 85% of the U.S. population
was white, but it is predicted that in the
year 2060, only 43% of the U.S.
population will bewhite.We wereonce a
black and white country. Now, were a
rainbow.(PaulTaylor,TheNextAmerica).
According to the Pew Research Center,
2043willbetheyear of thewhiteminority.
This could radically reconceptualize
issues ofrepresentation andpower.Areas
like government, media and higher
education are currently controlled by the
whites. statesZakCheneyRice,authorof
article What Will America Look Like in
2060?

After returning to their home inCaroline

County, a couple weeks later, July 11,
1958 at the top ofthe morning, the county
sheriff and two deputies stormed into the
Lovings home to question them. The
sheriff asked, Who is this woman youre
sleeping with? and Mildred blurted, Im
his wife. while pointing to the marriage
certificate hanging on the wall. The sheriff
responded intensely by saying that the
certificate was not good in the state of
Virginia. The two were immediately
arrested,withRichardspendinganevening
in jail, and the pregnantMildred abitmore Crystal Davidson, an AfricanAmerican
thanherhusband.
freshman at the University of North
Judge Leon M. Bazile ruled: Almighty Carolinaat Charlotte, has beendating her
God created the races white,white,black, white boyfriend fortwoyears. Thetwoare
yellow, malay, and red, and he placed madly in love, except for the fact that her
them on separate continents. And but for father claims that he will not attend her
the interferencewithhisarrangementthere wedding if she marries a white man. This
wouldbenocauseforsuchmarriages.The might sound absurd, but believe it or not,
factthat heseparatedtheracesshowsthat many students parents share the same
he did not intend for the races to mix. feelings.Koula Fragos,also afreshmanat
Later on, the couple pleaded guilty to UNCC is fully greek and is dating a
violating the law and were sentenced to biracial man. These two lovebirds have
been dating for a year, except, Fragos
oneyearinprison.
parents do not even know her boyfriend
The Lovings began to get a glimpse of exists. Herfatherstated:Myworstfearfor
hopewhentheir sentenceof one year was my children is for them to marry a black
suspended due toapleabargain,butthere person.Ouch.
was a catch. The couple was ordered to
leave the state ofVirginiaandtonotreturn Though many older folks do not agree
together for 25 years. Once the couple with this fad, that has not stopped the
relocated to Washington D.C., they had youngergeneration toseekloveoutsideof
three children and made rare visits to their race. In fact, sixtyone percent of 18
to 29 year oldsacceptinterracial couples,
Virginiatoseefamilyandfriends.
whereas only twentyfive percent of
Thoughthe couplewaslivinghappilywith individuals who are opposed to this
three children, they couldnt stand to be phenomenonarefiftyorolder.PaulTaylor,
away from their loved ones just because director ofPews Social andDemographic
they married out of their race. So they Trends project says: For younger
decided to take action in 1963. Mildred Americans, racial and ethnic diversity are
wrote AttorneyGeneralRobertKennedyto apartoftheirlives.Aboutthirteenpercent
ask for help, and with great surprise, of all currently married adults twentyfive
Kennedy wrote back and referred the or younger have married outside of their
couple to the American Civil Liberties race and the rates decline among
Union, who once again, luckily accepted individualsoveragefifty.
theircase.

Davidson shares, as she ventures

Bernard S. Cohen and Philip J. around her Charlotte campus, she spots
Hirschkop, ACLU lawyers, appealed the

AgraphicofwhatAmericanswilllooklikebytheyear2060

Lovings case to the Virginia Supreme

Court of Appeals. They argued that the
Virginia law did not agree to the Equal
Protection Clause of the 14 Amendment
because of the factthatitforbidinterracial
couples to marryspecificallybasedontheir
race. The Virginia court then UPHELD the
original ruling, so the case wentdirectlyto
theUnitedStatesSupremeCourt.

swirlers everywhere, as if they are a

foreign breed. Its a great thing to see. I
am tired of feeling like an outcast says
Davidson. According to Pew Research,
43% of Americans say that more
individuals of different races marrying or
dating each other has been a change for
the better in our society. Younger adults
(age 30 and under) are more positive
The HIGH COURT unanimously agreed about intermarriage than older adults.
in favor of theLovingsonJune12th,1967, Interracial couples and multiracial families
whicheliminatedVirginiaslaw.Thecouple areallaroundustoday.
finally was able to return to their home in
Virginia. The court states that the
antimiscegenation law violated both the
Equal Protection Clause and the Due
ProcessClauseofthe14Amendment.
Afterthe couple returnedhome, Richard
died from a fatal car crash in 1975, and
Mildred passed away from pneumonia on
May 2, 2008 at the age of 68. These two
fought a difficult battle, but they overcame
it, and much more. Theyareaninspiration
to all.Because of theintensity oftheirlove
and their brave souls, the Lovings have
opened the gates for more individuals to
dateinterraciallyandintermarrytoday.

KoulaFragosandherboyfriendDanielAndrews

TheLovingsshareakissoutsideoftheirVirginiahome

Ms.IngramsUWRT1102Class

By:CrystalDavidson

2May2015