The Multiracial Activist
Statement on Loving Day
June 12, 2017
Dear Readers,
As this is Loving Day and so much has changed in the last few years, I am reposting my 2015 statement as a reminder of what we have to lose. What I said in 2015, still stands in 2017. Those pockets of hatred and individuals I mentioned in 2015 are making their presence known loudly in 2017.
Hard-won legal victories pertaining to interracial relationship marriage rights are not in any immediate danger. However, the current iteration of the GOP has repeatedly demonstrated an utter lack of a spine with regard to dealing with the long-term effects of the party’s immoral courting of bigots and racists. The effects of their collusion and apathy are evident.
This mess isn’t going away anytime soon. The right to love and marry across color lines is settled. However, racism and anti-miscegenationist thought are very much alive. Now is not the time to sleep.
The Multiracial Activist
Statement on Loving Day
June 12, 2015Dear Readers,
On this day in 1967, the Supreme Court unambiguously invalidated all of the remaining state and local laws against miscegenation in the U.S. due to a case brought to court largely by the work of Mildred Loving and the ACLU. Some laws still remained on the books (Alabama and South Carolina) for several more decades, but were not enforceable, despite the wishes of some legislators and law enforcement in those states.
Racism towards interracial couples has been on the decline for many years and looks a great deal different in 2015 as compared to 1967. However, there are still pockets of hatred around and individuals or organizations who will act out on their hate regardless of geographic location.
In some instances, hatred is masked in polite verbiage or through “serious concerns.” Opposition toward interracial relationships is often expressed using language such as, “I’m not against interracial dating, but I’m just worried about the kids.” Yeah. Okay. Such concerns are never translated into actual work to eliminate or overcome those things that worry the speaker. They are simply a convenient shield to allow said speaker to promote a perverse rationale opposing the right of consenting adults to get married on the basis of racial classifications.
Please, celebrate the day. Remember the hard work of those who had to endure much worse. Don’t squander those hard-won gains by letting any person or organization tell you who you are allowed to love. Polite excuses, soft-spoken racism and apologia are seldom as harmless as they seem.
James Landrith
Founder and Publisher
The Multiracial Activist
and The Abolitionist Examiner