Loving Day is on Saturday, June 12, 2027, and it falls on June 12 every year. It marks the anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 Supreme Court decision that struck down state bans on interracial marriage. People celebrate it with gatherings, history talks and, for some couples, weddings.
When Is Loving Day?
It’s always June 12, the date of the 1967 ruling. It isn’t a federal holiday, but it’s marked by public events in many large U.S. cities and online with #LovingDay.
What Was Loving v. Virginia?
Richard and Mildred Loving married in Washington, D.C., in 1958. Richard was white, and Mildred was of Black and Native American descent. They returned home to Central Point, Virginia.
In July 1958, the county sheriff woke them at 2 a.m. and jailed them, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. They were convicted under a state law that banned interracial marriage.
They were sentenced to one year in prison. The judge suspended the sentence for 25 years, on the condition that they leave Virginia, the National Constitution Center notes.
The Lovings challenged the law. On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in their favor. At the time, 16 states still had such bans on the books.
What the Court said
Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion. “The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights,” he wrote. The freedom to marry a person of another race, he added, “resides with the individual” and “cannot be infringed by the State.”
Who Started Loving Day, and Why?
Ken Tanabe, whose parents are an interracial couple, founded Loving Day in 2004. “Loving Day started as my thesis project in graduate school,” he has said, according to the CIA’s own feature on the day.
He felt the ruling deserved wider recognition. Its mission, he says, is “to steward a shared tradition as a way to fight racism through education.”
The day celebrates multiracial families and couples, and reminds people how recently such marriages were illegal in parts of the U.S.
How much has changed
In 1967, 3% of U.S. newlyweds married someone of a different race or ethnicity. By 2015, that share was 17%, Pew Research Center found. About one in ten married people, roughly 11 million, were intermarried.
How to Celebrate Loving Day
- Learn the story: read about Richard and Mildred Loving and their long legal fight.
- Read the decision: the Court’s opinion is short and readable, and a good discussion starter.
- Attend a local event: look for Loving Day gatherings, picnics or talks in your city.
- Share family stories: talk with relatives about how marriage laws affected your family.
- Watch a film or documentary: several have told the Lovings’ story.
- Post with #LovingDay: share a family photo or a fact about the ruling.
- Teach kids: use the story to talk about fairness, courts and civil rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was the Loving v. Virginia decision unanimous?
Yes. All nine justices agreed, and Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion.
How many states banned interracial marriage in 1967?
Sixteen states still had anti-miscegenation laws in place when the Court ruled.
What happened to the Lovings?
They returned to Caroline County, Virginia. Richard was killed by a drunk driver in 1975. Mildred died in 2008 at 68, saying of the case, “It was God’s work.”
Do couples get married on Loving Day?
Some do. Choosing June 12 as a wedding date is one way couples honor the Lovings.