* Interracial Marriage History
For more than 300 years the laws of America banned interracial marriage. History shows that black people were viewed as slaves, the help and sex objects, but love conquers all.
In 1964, nearly 100 years after slaves were freed by Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to ban interracial marriage.
Since then interracial couples have fought against their own culture and popular opinion to change the sentiment around mixed race.
Since Then….
50 years have passed since interracial marriage became legal everywhere in the United States.
Loving Day is a holiday made for interracial couples to celebrate the anniversary of the Loving V. Virginia Supreme Court case in 1967.
This case was created by Mildred Loving. A black woman who married her white husband Richard Loving.
He was sentenced to a year in prison for marrying his black wife.
Their marriage violated the state of Virginia’s anti-miscegenation rule, The Racial Integrity Act 1924 which forbid marriage between people categorized as white and black.
Anti-Miscegenation Laws
- Deprived black people of their rights
- Mixture of races
- Occurred in many states
People Began Fighting Laws Against Interracial Marriage In Court In The 19th Century
The Supreme Court’s decision was made because the law that white and blacks couldn’t marry was unconstitutional.
All race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States ended.
Timeline throughout History
Real Life Stories
* Military Alabama
Military wife, Shanoah Powell has been married to her Irish husband, Timothy Powell for two years. Throughout their marriage, they have moved to multiple military bases where they faced obstacles as an interracial couple.
Powell says she was shopping at the grocery store in Alabama with her son when an older white woman walked up to her and complimented her son.
While speaking the woman started touching her sons long curly hair and asked Powell
“His dad’s not white is he? “
Powell says she asked the lady why and her response was
“Because white people and black people aren’t supposed to have children together.”
Powell says she felt so offended and upset because her husband is white and she couldn’t believe someone could be so open about their racial preference.
* New York Newly Weds
Seven months married, Emma and Showdane Williams moved to New York for better job opportunities and to build a family together.
Both grew up with families that were open to them dating people of different races. Emma is from El Salvador and Showdane comes from a Southern family in Louisana.
One night, Emma and her husband decided to check out a restaurant in Astoria Queens called Don Coqui.
While dining a black woman sitting next to them kept staring and making rude facial expressions toward them.
As the night continued the black woman walked over to their table and told Showdane
“You should be ashamed of yourself walking around with that woman while theirs beauitful black women everywhere. Im tired of those spanish girsl stealing our men.”
* A Couples Ending
26-year-old Jamie Delrosario has been in a relationship with her 27-year-old boyfriend, Kevon King have been together for almost a decade.
Jamie comes from a large Phillapino family and Kevon has spent most of his life in Trinidad growing up with his mother and grandmother.
Both of them always saw themselves being with someone from their nationality but somehow managed to fall in love.
Kevon said he asked Jamie’s father for permission to marry and the father said
“I can’t alow you to marry my daughter because your black. I don’t want my grnadchildren steriotyped or limited because of their skin color and hair texture.”
Kevon said he couldn’t believe her father’s response since they both came from small islands and because of his response he can’t propose to someone whose family can’t accept him.
* Common Racial Stereotypes within interracial relations
- People in interracial relationships never date their own race
- White people in interracial relationships are rebelling
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