In 1967, the US Supreme Court struck down state laws banning marriages between people of different races. That fraught moment occurred even though any legal uncertainty about the validity of interracial marriage had ended a decade earlier. Paul Fleisher and his wife were used to ‘the look,’ but this time it was more intense.
Interracial marriage has increased in frequency and gained much more acceptance in the more than 50 years thereafter. Fleisher was therefore taken aback that Congress saw the need to incorporate extra protection in the Respect for Marriage Act, which moves to the House for a final vote anticipated this week. In the Jim Crow South in the 1950s, Bill Fleisher attended segregated public schools. He resides outside Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, Debra Sims Fleisher. Charges of out-of-state marriage were brought against Black lady Mildred Jeter and White man Richard Loving. They challenged the legislation, which resulted in the historic decision known as Loving v. Virginia.
The Respect for Marriage Act passed the Senate last week. Interracial couples say they are glad Congress also included protections for their marriages. Ana Edwards, 62, and her husband, Phil Wilayto, 73, have been married since 2006. Both said they didn’t consider interracial marriage a potentially vulnerable institution until the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
For interracial couples, the thought that their right to marry could ever be threatened is a foreign concept. ‘We never in our wildest dreams thought we would need to be protected as an interracial couple,’ Derek Mize said. ‘The fact that Congress had to take up this issue in 2022 should be a stark reminder of that fact for us’. After Roe v. Wade, Angelo Villagomez worries about what could come next for interracial marriage. It feels like some of those things that have just been taken for granted. are under threat, he says. Mize: ‘We’re really relieved that there is this law’ to protect interracial marriages.
Post Your Comments