LIFESTYLE COLUMN: MEET LOVING DAY

Love & Legislation Dance Together on the Streets of New York City

By: Team Buzzine

June 24, 2008

Forget February’s Valentine’s Day. June’s newer holiday, Loving Day, is really about spreading the love…  “But, if you’re thinkin’ about my baby, it don’t matter if you’re black or white…”

Yes, we all remember the tune and we all remember the lyrics—not to mention the electrifying guitar introduction by Guns ‘n’ Roses rock star, Slash. If you don’t, no worries. The music video featuring a young McCauley Culkin and dance moves from just about every region on Earth is highly accessible on YouTube.

It was 1991 when Michael Jackson’s hit “Black or White” topped the charts. However, despite the nondiscriminatory message of the pop song, back in 1958 it did matter—to the point where interracial marriage was a crime and possible jail time was the punishment for living life outside of the pre-determined social box.

Thanks to movies like A Bronx Tale, The Bodyguard, and Swordfish, interracial romance is nothing new to modern audiences. However, that doesn’t mean we still can’t celebrate how far we’ve come by officially recognizing Loving vs. Virgina, the Supreme Court Case that legalized interracial marriage in the States. Up until June 12, 1967, you could have been arrested for falling for someone whose skin happened to have a different amount of pigment. Imagine the difficulty some of our favorite celebrity power couples would have had! No David Bowie and Iman. No Heidi Klum and Seal.

Just to get everyone up to speed on the history of the now famous case, here is the abridged version of their tale: In 1958, Virginia residents Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving (yes, that was his real name) fanned the fire by getting married in the District of Columbia and then returned to live ever after in their home state.

With Mrs. Loving being a black woman and Mr. Loving being a white man, they were in clear violation of Virginia law and were arrested in the middle of the night – not exactly the honeymoon phase that most newlyweds dream about. However on June 12, 1967, with some new legislation, they (finally) got their happy ending.

Fast forward to June 8, 2008 in New York. It was a sweltering hot Sunday, but the heat didn’t stop the Loving Day Celebration that was in full swing on Manhattan’s East Side Water Front at 23^rd Street. There was no air conditioning, but luckily the sea breeze helped to control the rising temperature. Under the big white tent at Solar One, the party kicked off at 3:00 p.m. and people danced till 7:00 while a Ben & Jerry’s truck served up scoops of their famous ice cream.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the project, and attendance was anything but scarce. In fact, the large crowd was quite possibly the most diverse gathering that could have populated the same location all at once. Black, White, Asian, and Indian – the event felt less like a community project and more like a global family BBQ, with adults and kids alike dancing and eating food straight off the grill all afternoon.

Other movies like classic 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and updated versions like 2005’s Guess Who also bring light to the social issue through the silver screen. The Loving Day project has their own specific agenda with their mission being “to fight prejudice through education and to build a sense of community among people who engage in meaningful interracial and intercultural relationships.”

A project with a purpose, Loving Day (http://www.lovingday.org/) is a year-round initiative that culminates with an annual bash in June. And don’t make the mistake of thinking New York is the only city celebrating this month. Other Loving Day events have been scheduled for Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington DC, Eugene, Portland, San Francisco, Memphis, Detroit, and St. Petersburg.

And while Loving Day has yet to become a federal holiday, it’s making its mark one state at a time through these events and growing support from coast to coast. But hey, if we’re finally ready to spice things up in the political arena with non-traditional presidential candidates, adding Loving Day to the national calendar can’t be far behind.

I already added it to mine.

Loving Day Celebrations happen around June 12th. Can't make it to the the NYC event? Find a Loving Day Celebration near you, or host your own Loving Day Celebration of any size.