Loving Day

For the novel, see Loving Day (novel).
Loving Day
TypeSecular, unofficial
SignificanceAnniversary of Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia
DateJune 12

Loving Day is an annual celebration held on June 12, the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia that struck down all anti-miscegenation laws remaining in sixteen U.S. states.[1][2][3] In the United States, anti-miscegenation laws were U.S. state laws banning mixed-race marriages. The Warren Court ruled unanimously in 1967 that these state laws were unconstitutional.[4][5] Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote in the court majority opinion that "the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State."[4]

Loving Day is not an official national or state holiday in the United States, despite attempts to make it so.[6][7] A writer for Time magazine in 2010 claimed that Loving Day was "the biggest multiracial celebration in the United States."[8]

According to the Pew Research Center, "In 2019, 11% of all married U.S. adults had a spouse who was a different race or ethnicity from them, up from 3% in 1967. Among newlyweds in 2019, roughly one-in-five (19%) were intermarried."[9]

  1. ^ Tucker, Neely (June 13, 2006). "Loving Day Recalls a Time When the Union of a Man And a Woman Was Banned". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ Bussel, Rachel Kramer (June 6, 2006). "Love Actually: Talking with Ken Tanabe, founder of Loving Day". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 2, 2006.
  3. ^ Gandin Le, Jennifer (June 8, 2007). "Loving Day: It's Not a Hallmark Holiday". The Huffington Post.
  4. ^ a b "Loving v. Virginia". Oyez. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  5. ^ Shay, Christopher (June 11, 2010). "Loving Day". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  6. ^ "Make Loving Day Official". lovingday.org. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  7. ^ "'Loving Day' Personified in Presidential Race". NPR.org. June 12, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  8. ^ Shay, Christopher (June 11, 2010). "Loving Day". Time.
  9. ^ Parker, Kim; Barrasso, Amanda (February 25, 2021). "In Vice President Kamala Harris, we can see how America has changed". Pew Research Center. Retrieved June 11, 2024.