— VOA Learning English — U.S. History Source: Voice of America Learning English (https://learningenglish.voanews.com/) Licence: Public domain (work of the U.S. federal government, 17 U.S.C. §105) Audio is served by the publisher; Budi does not host or modify it.
0:00This case goes all the way back to 1691. At that time, the colony of Virginia said people of different races could not get married. Restrictions against interracial marriage remained in effect well into the 20th century. The restrictions did not prevent two Virginians named Richard and Mildred from falling in love. Richard's family was white. Mildread's was a mix. In 1958, Richard and Mildred went to Washington, D.C. Interracial marriage was legal there, and the couple wed. Then they returned to the small town in Virginia where they lived. Five weeks later, police came into their house in the middle of the night and took them to jail. Richard and Milldred were ordered to leave Virginia. The couple
0:56People settled in Washington, D.C., and had three children. But they missed their friends, family, and home. So they took their case to the Supreme Court. Richard's argument was simple. He said, I love my wife, and it is just unfair that I can't live with her in Virginia. The justices all agreed. They struck down laws banning interracial marriage, saying the U.S. Constitution permitted individuals, not the state, to decide whom to marry. By the way, the couple's last name? Loving. The case is known as Loving v. Virginia.
This transcript was generated automatically from the recording, so it will contain mistakes — especially around names and places.