The date of our wedding is June 12, 2021 – the 54^th anniversary of Loving Day.

Loving Day marks the date in 1967 that the Supreme Court ruled on Loving v. Virginia, striking down all remaining anti-miscegenation laws. Until this ruling, these state laws prohibited interracial marriage.

A total of 41 states had passed laws to ban interracial marriage. Many of these laws were repealed in state legislatures before 1967, but 16 states were still actively enforcing them when the ruling was made. Wisconsin is one of only 9 states to have never passed an anti-miscegenation law.

In another time and place, not too long ago and not too far away, our marriage would have been illegal. It's critical to continue the fight against injustice, celebrate the strides humanity has made, and accept the work still left to do. We should not take for granted the rights we have by ignoring an unfortunate past. Instead, we must acknowledge these events, and stand in defiance of a history of intolerance to ensure it is never repeated.

We picked this date for our wedding to recognize the heroes from our past who fought tirelessly for the freedoms of today. Our union is a celebration made possible by the growth that we have achieved together as a nation.

—

For more about Loving Day, reference the following articles:

• Loving Day
• Loving v. Virginia
• Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States