The Loving Story

Grey Villet/Courtesy of HBO

The Loving Story is the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple married in 1958, then arrested and banished from their home state of Virginia.

The HBO documentary chronicles the Loving's 9 year fight for their right to live as a married couple in The Southern state. The fight took the couple all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the justices held in favor of the Loving's in a 9-0 decision.

Among the highlights of the documentary are video clips of interviews with the Loving's and their attorneys at the time of the appeals. It was also amazing to hear audio of the Supreme Court justices and attorneys for both sides during oral argument. Hearing Chief Justice Earle Warren  take the prosecutor to task on his purported justifications for the law against interracial marriage made me proud to be an American. Listening to the impassioned arguments of the very young defense attorneys, one of which was so new to practice he could not be admitted before the Supreme Court, made me proud to be a lawyer.

It was hard to ignore the parallels between the Loving's case and the present-day arguments about gay marriage. No matter your take on gay marriage, you have to admit The Loving Story offers some insight that should be considered.

The reserved Richard Loving, who wasted few words, said the one thing that perhaps best explains why the Supremes made an honorable decision in striking down the law. As the Lovings had no interest in traveling to the Court to hear the arguments in person, preferring to avoid the spotlight they had been unfairly thrust into, their attorney asked Mr. Loving if there was anything he would like him to tell the Court. Mr. Loving's response?

"Tell them I love my wife."

Part civil rights lesson, part love story, The Loving Story is one that everyone should watch and re-watch.