About the Film
This documentary film is the moving account of Richard and Mildred Loving, who were arrested in 1958 for violating Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage. Their struggle culminated in a landmark Supreme Court decision, Loving v. Virginia (1967) which overturned anti-miscegenation laws in the United States.
Directed by Nancy Buirski; produced by Nancy Buirski and Elisabeth Haviland James. A co-production of Augusta Films and HBO Films. Distributed by Icarus Films.
Mildred and Richard Loving knew it was technically illegal for them to live as a married couple in Virginia because she was of African American and Native American descent and he was white. But they never expected to be woken up in their bedroom and arrested one night in 1958. The documentary brings to life the Lovings’ marriage and the legal battle that followed through little-known filmed interviews and photographs shot for Life magazine.
The Loving Story (77 min.) is a journey into the heart of race relations in America. This landmark documentary, with its contemporary parallels, will live on as record of monumental change, not just in civil rights, but in the human right to pursue happiness regardless of color, gender or creed.
"In a rich collection of 16-millimeter film, old news clips and still photographs, the Lovings don’t look like two people caught up in a cause, they seem like two people caught up in each other." —The New York Times
"Using evocative photographs, newly unearthed footage and interviews with Lovings' daughter and lawyers, the film reveals the power of love to overcome bigotry." —Blackvoices, The Huffington Post
"A perfect time capsule that illuminates the racist past of our country with a uniquely personal and poignant emphasis." —The Hollywood Reporter
“Documenting many pivotal moments in the case, it adds a dash of something rarely seen in the grand narrative of the American Civil Rights struggle: romance." —Chicago Sun-Times
Historical Background
After World War II, civil rights activists built upon a mobilizing tradition within Black communities that included sit-ins, strikes, and protest marches. Grassroots groups around the nation relied on nonviolent tactics and multiple campaigns to end segregation. National organizations, among them the NAACP and ACLU, worked to end segregation by bringing cases before the Supreme Court and the federal government. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that public schooling was to be desegregated with “deliberate speed.” Hopes were high that legalized discrimination could be ended and equal rights for African Americans won.
In many cases, the ultimate success of the major legal and political battles of the civil rights era rested on the action, courage, and persistence of individuals. Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were two such individuals who changed history. In July 1958, they returned home after marrying in Washington, DC, and were arrested in the middle of the night. The Lovings had broken the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924 forbidding interracial marriage. Faced with prison, the Lovings took a plea bargain that mandated they leave Virginia for 25 years. They moved to Washington, DC, but missed their home, family, and rural community.
In 1963, Mildred Loving wrote a letter to Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who suggested that she contact the American Civil Liberties Union. Two young lawyers, Bernard Cohen and Philip Hirschkop, argued the case through state and federal courts. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court heard Loving v. Virginia. The justices voted unanimously to strike down the Virginia law with Chief Justice Warren writing that “the freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men.” The landmark ruling led to the overturning of miscegenation laws in fifteen states.
The film narrates the lives of Mildred and Richard Loving and their fight for the recognition of their marriage, all the way to the Supreme Court. The film’s immediacy derives from the inclusion of little-known footage dating from the 1960s depicting the daily life of the couple and their three children while they were in hiding in a house in Virginia.
"This story about the Lovings' courage and determination is enough to make viewers care deeply about a legal decision." —Mother Jones
How might this film be of interest to students?
The Loving Story could be linked to the following discussion topics:
Hands of Richard and Mildred Loving, 1965. Photo by Grey Villet.
A screening of this documentary took place on:
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Accokeek Hall, Room 221
2:00-4:30 pm
The Heart of the Matter: Love
See this New York Times photo essay by Barbara Villet, widow of photographer Grey Villet. In 1965 Grey Villet received a Life magazine assignment to photograph the Lovings. At the time the Lovings were already deeply engaged in a legal struggle following their arrest for miscegenation in the state of Virginia.
Luzviminda Uzuri Carpenter
Luzviminda Uzuri "Lulu" Carpenter, the guest speaker at the event, is a consultant, curator, producer, teaching artist, youth and young adult advocate, hip-hop enthusiast, community organizer, and visionary. Carpenter earned her MA in American Studies at Washington State University and wrote her thesis, "Whose Mix?" which used art and poetry to emphasize the need for the mixed race and intersectional body to speak and not be trapped into positions of being the "new model minority" for the 21st century.
Photo by Grey Villet. Richard and Mildred Loving with their children Peggy, Donald, and Sidney in their living room, King and Queen County, Virginia, April 1965. © Estate of Grey Villet
Awards & Acknowledgments for THE LOVING STORY
Winner, 2013 George Foster Peabody Award
Winner, Best Use of Footage in a Factual Production, Focal International Awards 2012
Winner, WGA Screenplay Award, 2011 Silverdocs Documentary Festival
Winner, 2012 John E. O'Connor Film Award, American Historical Association
Centerpiece, 2011 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
2013 Bermuda Docs Film Festival
2012 Sundance Film Forward
2012 United Nations Association Film Festival
2012 Mixed Roots Film Festival
2011 Tribeca Film Festival
2011 Saint Louis Film Festival
2011 Virginia Film Festival
2011 Hamptons International Film Festival
2011 Heartland Film Festival
2011 Traverse City Film Festival