Loving for Granted: Biracial Marriage & Identity

It wasn’t until 1967 that interracial couples could legally marry in the United States.  Before then, couples were penalized in many ways – including prison sentences.

Although this moment in time can easily be forgotten 45 years later, HBO set out to portray this particular moment in history when everything changed in a documentary called The Loving Story.  Fitting enough, HBO featured it on Valentine’s Day.

The Loving couple stood at the forefront of this epic turn in federal law.  After Mildred and Richard Loving, an interracial couple, got married in 1958, they returned to Virginia where they were almost immediately arrested for disobeying the anti-miscegenation law that was in place.  They were then sentenced to a year in prison, but if the couple were to leave Virginia for 25 years, the judge would defer the sentence.

The couple did end up leaving, but was arrested again several years later when caught traveling to Virginia.  At this point, the Lovings reached out to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and finally went to the Supreme Court with the historical case of Loving v. Virginia.  Through this case, the ban that had been placed on interracial marriage in Virginia had been lifted.

Although interracial bonds were not uncommon at the time, individuals could finally express their love for one another legally through marriage.  Because of this, the number of those who identify themselves as biracial individuals began to increase, as more interracial couples married and had children of their own.  (Yet, different terms were used to define categories for racial mixture in the past).  Slowly, government forms started to change their language as well to represent these changes.  Even still, it was not until the year 2000 that the Census allowed for respondents to choose more than one race.  Though way before this some individuals had multiple racial roots, the Census forced people to choose one race prior to the form’s changes.

Through my research with Black-White biracial individuals in 2009, I got the opportunity to interview nine biracial individuals.  Although all of them were college-educated, some were in their early 20s, while others were in their 30s and recalled memories of living soon after the Civil Rights Era.  I quickly learned that although this term “biracial” was becoming more common, there was no unifying biracial “experience.”  Rather, each individual I spoke with had varying experiences, even if general similarities overlapped.  What was obvious was that most respondents chose to identify themselves as both Black and White, rather than feeling pressured to choose one category over the other.

Through recognizing the demographic shifts that are occurring, reflected in government forms such as the Census, it is imperative to understand the overarching policy implications these changes can cause.  Service providers such as teachers, social workers, and others must be aware of the ever changing needs of mixed families.  Additionally, policies must be reevaluated to reflect the changing demographics of the country.  For example, if current affirmative action programs such as the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Programs are aimed to help underrepresented students, will how people define themselves need to be reframed once more?

Approximately 9% of all marriages are interracial or inter-ethnic, which includes partnerships between White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American individuals.  This is double the percentage of interracial marriages in 1980.

Although society still has a ways to go in terms of racial equality, an increase in more interracial marriages will continue to shape the country.  Policies and programs should reflect these changes, not only taking into account the couples who are marrying interracially, but their children, who will find additional ways to identify themselves.

By no means do we live in a “post-racial” society, in which race no longer affects one’s circumstances.  Yet, since interracial marriage became legalized, we have taken small steps towards further equality.  It has allowed for us to become a bit more accepting as a society, by highlighting differences as an opportunity to show others another perspective, perhaps one they had not originally envisioned.  The joining together of two people from different backgrounds has the propensity for these couples’ children to experience multiple ways of life, ultimately serving as a potential bridge between communities in the future.

More on Politic365

• Obama's Revolving Door: Is it that Deep?
• White Kids Say the Darndest Things; Hard Knock Kid Life in Ohio
• Interest Rates?? What About Student Loan Forgiveness?

4 Responses to Loving for Granted: Biracial Marriage & Identity

1. msladydeborah says:

   3:25pm February 15, 2012 at 3:25 pm

   I wish that someone would take the time to interview families like mine. We are bi-racial and our parents were married in1955 when it was still illegal in many states for people of different races to be lawfully wedded. We grew up during the Sixties and it was a very different experience because of racial make up. One of our sibs is White, I am Black and our siblings are bi-racial. I often think about the times when racial unrest was at it's height and someone would ask if we were getting along. I often was puzzled by this question because we were not at odds with each other over race. We were and still are a family of people who love each other.

   Perhaps there will be a time when bi-racial people and mixed race relationships will be easier for other people to accept. We have a long way to go to that point.

   Reply
2. Kymi says:

   3:20pm February 16, 2012 at 3:20 pm

   It wasn’t until 1967 that interracial couples could legally marry in the United States <—-This statement is not 100% true. Each state had their own laws. My grandparents were an interracial relationship and were married in Detroit, Michigan, legally in 1939.

   Reply
3. Melissa says:

   2:33am February 23, 2012 at 2:33 am

   "After Mildred and Richard Loving, an interracial couple, got married in 1958, they returned to Virginia where they were almost immediately arrested for disobeying the anti-miscegenation law that was in place. They were then sentenced to a year in prison, but if the couple were to leave Virginia for 25 years, the judge would defer the sentence."

   So even though in several states it was legal before this, it was not until 1968 that Virginia's law was overturned by the Supreme Court, which also ended ALL legal restrictions that were based on race and pertaining to marriage throughout the United States.
   Thank you for pointing this out though, it is important to know the variations of history.

   Reply
4. Roberto Vazquez says:

   4:02am April 22, 2012 at 4:02 am

   The future of all nations made up by inmigrants is that people of different ethnic and racial backgrounds will get together. In the future race might become a nonsense word.

   Reply