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2008 SPECIAL SESSION II
WHEREAS, Mildred Jeter Loving, a determined, courageous, and loving citizen of the Commonwealth, died on May 2, 2008; and
WHEREAS, Mildred Jeter was born in 1939 in Caroline County, and it was in this rural county that Mildred met Richard Perry Loving while she was still a child; their friendship grew and later matured into love; and
WHEREAS, a loving and committed couple, Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving desired to be husband and wife, but the laws of Virginia at that time forbade interracial marriages; and
WHEREAS, devoted to one another and determined to be married, Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving went to Washington, D.C., in 1958 to be married; and
WHEREAS, shortly after their return to Virginia, local authorities arrested Mildred and Richard Loving for violating the ban on interracial marriage; they received a one-year sentence that was suspended upon the condition that they leave Virginia for 25 years; and
WHEREAS, Mildred and Richard Loving returned to Washington, D.C., to live and while there, Mildred contacted U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who referred her case to the American Civil Liberties Union; and
WHEREAS, while the case took several years to be heard before the Supreme Court, it finally was, and in 1967 the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the Lovings’ favor; and
WHEREAS, missing their family and the rural life in Caroline County, Mildred and Richard Loving moved back to Virginia after the court decision, enjoyed time together as husband and wife, and raised their three children together until Richard’s untimely death in a car accident in 1975; and
WHEREAS, Mildred Loving’s perseverance and commitment to the man she loved brought about an historic Supreme Court decision that opened the door for future generations to enjoy the blessings of marriage, regardless of race; and
WHEREAS, Mildred Loving will be fondly remembered for her quiet determination and courageous nature and will be greatly missed by her daughter, Peggy, and son, Sidney, and their families; other surviving family members; and numerous friends and admirers; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of an outstanding Virginian, Mildred Jeter Loving; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Mildred Jeter Loving as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.