An absorbing, beautiful piece of American cinema. Ruth Negga on The Actor's Side with Pete Hammond. The AP reports that 17% of newlyweds in 2015 were interracial marriages. I heard 'em and before I could get up, they just broke the door and came on in," recalls Richard. Richard built a home for them on an acre of land given to them by Richard's father, where they raised their three children. A Proposal: Long before the Supreme Court would hear their plea as Loving v. Virginia, Richard Perry Loving asked Mildred Delores Jeter to be his wife. The trial judge in the case, Leon M. Bazile, would later write the following in January 1965 when two ACLU lawyers asked him to reverse his ruling and have the case vacated: Yes. Scared me to death." We appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, got another terrible decision denying us relief, and then we had an appealable order from there to the U.S. Supreme Court." Sidney was born on January 27, 1957 to the late Sidney: The first of Richard and Mildred’s three children, Sidney Loving. It was on June 12, 1967 that marriage laws in the United States would be forever changed. ”. ", Inherent Rights: "When any society says that I cannot marry a certain person, that society has cut off a segment of my freedom." Instead, the officers found them asleep in their bed. A Comcast Company. At first, Mildred thought Richard was arrogant, but as she got to know him she realized he was "a very nice person" and they quietly fell in love. Nancy Buirski's documentary The Loving Story was released in 2011 and a TV movie titled Mr. and Mrs. Loving aired in 1996. TIME Magazine details the history of Loving Day. 50 years after Loving: What happened to the couple who pushed for interracial marriage? -The Loving Story, No. Mildred was attending an all-black school and Richard was attending a white high school. By 1963, Mildred longed for her family and friends and was fed up with city life living in exile with Richard and their children in Washington, D.C. "I didn't want to leave away from around my family and friends," said Mildred, "and when I was in Washington, well, I just wanted to go back home. ", CBS News Reports on the True Story of Mildred and Richard Loving, Nichols, Edgerton and Kroll with AOL BUILD, Ruth Negga and The Los Angeles Times' "The Envelope" Series, "Ruth Negga gives what is easily one of the best onscreen performances of the year. The Supreme Court agreed, stating that the law violated both the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause. "I just told him not to go up there [to Washington, D.C.]." The Lovings married in 1958 in Washington D.C. because Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924 made "mixed" marriages a felony offense. ©2020, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WPTZ-TV. "The Crime of Being Married": Life Magazine sent Grey Villet [Michael Shannon] to the home of Richard and Mildred Loving. Mildred never remarried and died in 2008 at the age of 69.The legacy of the Lovings continues today. © 2020 Focus Features. It was close to Mildred's mother and Richard's family. Like in the movie, Richard was working as a bricklayer. Richard and Mildred Loving on this Jan. 26, 1965, prior to filing a suit at Federal Court in Richmond, Va. AP Photo By Arica L. Coleman Local and national elections & political news, delivered to your inbox. "They came one night and they knocked a couple times. Lola says that she likes Mildred (Ruth Negga) but tells Richard he should have known better with regard to the trouble they could end up in. "Loving" earned actress Ruth Negga an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Mildred Loving. Their marriage had violated Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924, the state's anti-miscegenation statute, which forbid marriage between whites and non-white persons ("colored" persons). Jan 25, 2015 - Explore Patricia Jenkins's board "Richard and Mildred Loving", followed by 141 people on Pinterest. Ruth Negga on Richard and Mildred Loving. Richard and Mildred Loving's case led to the unanimous 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia , which overturned all previous state laws banning interracial marriage. Mildred did mention that she would have loved to have met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -The Loving Story, After ACLU lawyers Philip J. Hirschkop and Bernard S. Cohen unsuccessfully tried to get the original judge, Judge Leon M. Bazile, to reverse his ruling, they took the Lovings' case to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. -The Loving Story, Yes. He said that he never found out why the police picked on him and Mildred and not the other couples, but as emphasized in the film, he believes that somebody who didn't like them talked. Ruth Negga: remember the name. They weren’t symbols, and didn’t want to be. Ruth Negga's "Best Worst Jokes" with Vogue, Variety Features Loving in their "Directors on Directors" Feature, The Los Angeles Times Asks Joel Edgerton to Explain the Lovings' Devotion to One Another, The Washington Post Lauds the "brilliant simplicity of Loving", Parade.com Looks at the Costume Design of Loving. The Lovings remained married until 1975 when Richard was tragically killed when a drunk driver slammed into his car. A Simple Wish: "We have thought about other people, but we are not doing it just because somebody had to do it and we wanted to be the ones. Something Rare: "[T]heir love for each other just seemed such a beautiful, delicate, rare thing." Their sentence was suspended for 25 years under the agreement they would leave the state of Virginia and not return (they moved to Washington, D.C.). His work would anchor a multi-page piece that introduced the Lovings’ case to the world. Their wives and girlfriends tagged along. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, c. 1958, Natural: "[Grey Villet] avoided posing his subjects, refused to manipulate the action and simply waited patiently for telling moments to emerge, in the belief that reality would supply more truth than any imposition of his own ego.”, Ruth Negga Sits Down With Indiewire To Discuss LOVING. Richard and Mildred Loving are shown at their Central Point home with their children, Peggy, Donald and Sidney, in 1967. Fifty years after Mildred and Richard Loving’s landmark legal challenge shattered the laws against interracial marriage in the U.S., some couples of different races still talk of facing discrimination, disapproval and sometimes outright hostility from their fellow Americans. He was to make sure she showed up at court. Mildred pointed to the wedding certificate hanging on the wall and stated "I. "Maybe we were naive, but we were certain the court would hear the case," says Bernie. Both Edgerton and Negga are beyond extraordinary. "We were trying to get back to Virginia. Richard, a white man, and Mildred, a black woman of Native American descent, were each sentenced to a year in jail and were forced to move away from Virginia. The Los Angeles Times looks at how the Lovings' courage paved the way for families of all races. The June 12, 1967 Supreme Court ruling affected 16 states in total that up until that time still had laws that forbade interracial marriage. Jeff Nichols | Writer/Director "I believe that any time we can be reminded of the elegance and the simple beauty of love, it’s a good thing.”, Devotion: On the Lovings’ contribution to the Civil Rights Movement, Ruth Negga said "I think everyone else underestimated their tenacity, their belief in themselves, their love for each other, and their respect for each other. She later told a reporter, "One afternoon this inmate had been out, on the outside working, and when the sheriff brought him back in he said, 'I should let you go in here with her tonight.' In the interview, she went on to say that they seem to be "very happy." -The Loving Story. She wrote then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy for help, and he recommended that she contact the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which decided to take the Lovings' case. The latter starred Timothy Hutton as Richard and Lela Rochon as Mildred. Ruth Negga truly shines in a breakout performance. The Lovings remained married until 1975 when Richard was tragically killed when a drunk driver slammed into his car. "Yeah, I know a few," said Richard Loving at the time. She stayed there several more days until they let her go home without a bond but under her father's responsibility. Interview: Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga Talk To People.com, The Film ‘Loving,’ About a History-Making Interracial Couple, Sets Cannes Abuzz, "I'm his wife": Six weeks after their marriage, Sheriff Brooks [portrayed in the film by Marton Csokas] burst into the Lovings’ bedroom in the middle of the night to arrest them. The AP reports that 17% of newlyweds in 2015 were interracial marriages. "I wasn't in anything concerning Civil Rights," said Mildred. This happened when Mildred was being held at the jail in Bowling Green, Virginia. The Lovings married in 1958 in Washington D.C. because Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924 made "mixed" marriages a felony offense. This Jan. 26, 1965 file photo shows Mildred Loving and her husband Richard P Loving. -EncyclopediaVirginia.org, Yes, according to Mildred, she was unaware that she and Richard could be jailed for living in Virginia as a married interracial couple. Jeff Nichols is one of the most talented filmmakers of our time. It's been a long time since an actor/actress has me so unapologetically in the bag. Joel Edgerton as Richard and Ruth Negga as Mildred give performances that will be talked about for years. Yes, and on January 6, 1959, they pled guilty and were sentenced to a year in prison for marrying each other. Sidney Clay Jeter went home to be with his heavenly father on Wednesday, May 5, 2010. The legacy of the Lovings continues today. In the movie, Richard's mother (portrayed by Sharon Blackwood) voices a similar but slightly stronger stance against their union, telling Richard (Joel Edgerton), "You never should have married that girl." After her son Donald was hit by a car, she had enough (Donald suffered scrapes and bruises but was okay). ", Ruth Negga as Mildred Loving "People who are worried that no one will listen to them or that they don't have a voice, it just goes to show: everyone has a voice and everyone has the potential to change laws.". He said that Caroline County was a small community where whites and blacks were mixed together and helped one another.