Richard and Mildred Loving, First Interracial Couple, wedded in 1967
1 2018-05-11T23:45:59-07:00 Amani Al-Jundi 27794ebce3f3f2b835b7a87327055b54eb0ec35f 29761 1 plain 2018-05-11T23:46:00-07:00 U1558136 Washington, DC USA 12557259 © Bettmann/CORBIS © Corbis. All Rights Reserved. 12 Jun 1967, Washington, DC, USA --- The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a Virginia law banning marriage between African Americans and Caucasians was unconstitutional, thus nullifying similar statues in 15 other states. The decision came in a case involving Richard Perry Loving, a white construction worker and his African American wife, Mildred. The couple married in the District of Columbia in 1958 and were arrested upon their return to their native Caroline County, Virginia. They were given one year suspended sentences on condition that they stay out of the state for 25 years. The Lovings decided in 1963 to return home and fight banishment, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS 19670612 adult affection African ethnicity African-American ethnicity American capital city Caucasian ethnicity city Civil Rights Movement couples discrimination federal district female head and shoulders historic event history human relationships human rights love male married couple married life men Mid-Atlantic Mildred Loving multiethnic national capital North America North American North American historical event people political and social issues portrait racism Richard Perry Loving segregation social issues spouse studio shot togetherness two two people United States historical event USA Washington, DC women For latest restrictions check www.corbisimages.com Corbis Richard and Mildred Loving in Washington, DC L Amani Al-Jundi 27794ebce3f3f2b835b7a87327055b54eb0ec35fThis page is referenced by:
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The Development of Racism in Kindred
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Kindred is set in two contradicting times. In the first setting, slavery is abolished and in the second, it is still a part of the society.
However, are they actually that contradictory?
As the plot in the novel develops, the past seems to be reaching towards the present. In the beginning both the past and present are unclear; later though, everything is exposed when these two worlds collide. This issue results in making both Dana and Kevin confused about where they should call “home,” and one may interpret this confusion as a reflection of how similar the past and present really are despite the obvious differences.
One such similarity is that of racism and gender bias. Even in the present, during Dana's time in 1976, the African American woman was still treated in an inferior way. It is true that slavery was abolished; however, it is still prevalent in many other ways in Dana’s present. This can be seen in the reaction to Dana and Kevin's interracial marriage. There were not many interracial marriages in the 1970’s, and the idea was not widely spread or accepted yet. The couple are harassed by their boss at the labor agency where he addresses them by racist comments such as “Chocolate and vanilla [...]!”(56)¹.
Moreover, the abuse inflicted upon the slaves that Dana witnesses during her time travel affects her relationship with her white husband, Kevin. Things end up becoming more complicated when Kevin also goes into the past and is forced to act as her owner. This juxtaposition of the past and the present in the novel shows that although the times had changed, which implies that the society had also changed, there are still many aspects that had not changed in regards to how many people still think.
Reference- Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. Beacon Press, 2003
