Mildred Jeter was born in 1939. She was of African and Rappahannock (Native American) descent.
Richard Loving was born in 1933. He was of Caucasian (white) descent.
Mildred and Richard were childhood sweethearts in Caroline County, Virginia. When they grew up, they decided to marry.
The marriage laws in Virginia said that no white person could marry a non-white person, so the Lovings were married in June, 1958 in Washington..
After they returned home, the local sheriff burst into their bedroom and arrested Mr. and Mrs. Loving.
To avoid going to jail, the couple had to leave Virginia.
The Lovings moved to Washington, but in time were frustrated that they could not visit their families in Virginia.
in 1963, Mrs. Loving wrote the US Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, who referred her case to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). The case was taken all the way to the US…
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