Today is Loving Day, which I learned while listening to NPR on my drive in. Although it sounds like a nice reminder to share your feelings, the day is actually in honor of Richard Loving, the white man who fought all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to stay married to Mildred, his black wife.

The Lovings, residents of Virginia, were married in Washington, D.C. in 1958. Interracial marriage was legal in the District, but thanks to anti-miscegenation laws, illegal in their home state.

When the couple returned home, they were arrested and charged with violating Virginia's Racial Integrity Act. Richard and Mildred pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year in jail--a sentence which the judge ruled suspended for 25 years if they agreed to never return to the state again.

In his ruling Leon Bazile proclaimed the separation of the races sanctioned by God. His full quote was too offensive to print here, but if you want to read it, check it out on Wikipedia.

With the couple banished to Washington, the ACLU filed a motion in Virginia state court to have the ruling vacated on the premise it violated the Fourteenth Amendment. In 1967 the case was heard by the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the Lovings, subsequently striking down all anti-miscegenation laws (at the time there were still 16 states, including Virginia, with such laws).

While it's clear that racism still exists, it's incomprehensible for me to think that just 41 years ago racism was not only overt, it was sanctioned by law. As Tiger Woods prepares for the U.S. Open and Barack Obama readies for the general election, it seems fitting to take some time and reflect on the generation that stood up and said "it's time for change."