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June 12th, 2008
Celebrate Loving Day!
Posted by Asian Americans for ObamaToday is Loving Day, the 41st
anniversary of the day that the US Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in Loving v. Virginia that laws against
interracial marriage were unconstitutional.
Amidst the tensions and anxieties of the time, it’s good to remember the power
of a simple story of love that inspired an ordinary couple that just wanted to
be able to live their lives to fight injustice. Mildred Loving died
earlier this year, but her legacy will persist, not just for the landmark
nature of the case, but because she and her husband were not seeking to be
martyrs, celebrities, or politicians, but just a family.
Sen. Obama was very lucky to be born to an interracial couple in Hawaii, a multiracial and multiethnic state where such relationships were not unusual. He and his half-Indonesian, half-Caucasian sister Maya grew up among many other mixed race kids. That’s not to say that they didn’t have their challenges. But without Loving, so many Americans like Sen. Obama would not have the ability to thrive, or in some cases, even exist. So many couples like Sen. Obama’s parents would not be able to live their lives together. Even with the decision, true respect and acceptance is still an unfulfilled promise for many, one for which all of us must continue to strive. Asian Americans intermarry at rates higher than any other racial or ethnic group, so the right to marry has special significance for us.
Cheesy as it is, these are the moments that keep me going, that inspire me to
keep up the fight no matter the challenges ahead or the defeats suffered. Let’s take today to remember that, in the end, love and hope always win out over intolerance and fear.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
What an important day in history. Hopefully we’ll be celebrating the same kind of victory for the freedom to marry for LGBT couples–in the wake of California Supreme Court’s groundbreaking decision.