LOVING
STARTS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 at Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Tucson
“In Loving, acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special, Mud, Take Shelter) celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown.
Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry—and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since. (Dir. by Jeff Nichols, 2016, USA, 123 mins., Rated PG-13)”
Carolyn’s note: Having grown up in multi-racial, multi-cultural Hawaii, I could not believe this case when I first read it in law school. I had a Japanese American Uncle Nobu who married a Hawaiian/Caucasian woman (my Aunty Annie) so I sensed the racism behind these cases of inter-racial marriage, but not to the extent of hatred exhibited on the U.S. Mainland against Black/White relationships.
Arizona did not allow inter-racial marriages either, and had to be challenged in court in 1959 by Tucsonans Japanese American educator Hank Oyama and his white wife Mary Ann Jordan. They prevailed in 1961 when the Arizona legislature repealed the anti-miscegenation law. My previous post on Hank Oyama’s memorial service (obituary) from Tucsoncitizen.com: https://carolynclassen.wordpress.com/tag/anti-miscegenation-laws/
America has come a long way since Loving vs. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967).
Full house today in theater 3 of the Loft Cinema to see this true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, who married in D.C. then moved back to Virginia, not know of their miscegenation law. Jailed & then forced to move to D.C. the couple has 3 children, then moved back to Virginia and with the help of ACLU attorneys, took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Times have indeed changed since Loving v. Virginia, and it took American society a long time to accept inter-racial marriages. My husband and I lived in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the early 80’s and some people still hadn’t accepted this concept. Hopefully it’s better now. Go see this movie, and rejoice this landmark decision of 1967, during the Civil Rights era.
We saw this a week or so ago. It was worth every minute. Really an incredible story. I know producers and screenplay writers take editorial license when making movies out of true stories, but my sense was there was less of that in Loving.
Can’t wait to see it this weekend with my husband. My marriage wouldn’t have been allowed either, as well as many, many couples I know. Thanks Bob.