This weekend may have started out gloomy, but I must say it ended on a great note. I’m not just referring to the outdoors. My little Princess was feeling a little under the weather. I was worried because her baptism was scheduled for Sunday. We also had a few hang ups along the way, but everything worked out fine. Like a true diva, she came through in the clutch and was all smiles.
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| Post Baptism dress courtesy of Godmama Tiff and her mom |
When my hubby and I originally scheduled her baptism, we didn’t think about the significance this particular day. I came across one of my favorite blogs, Baby Making Machine, and realized that our baby’s baptism was held on “Loving Day.” For those of you who don’t know, Loving Day celebrates the victory of interracial couple Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving being able to live in peace as husband and wife in their home state.
I remember watching a movie based on this couple starring Tim Hutton and Lela Richon years ago. Loving and Jeter both grew up in Virginia, later fell in love with one another and decided to get married in 1958. But in order for them to legally get hitched, they had to travel to Washington, DC. Upon returning to Virginia, they were arrested. Not only did the state forbid mixed marriages, they also didn’t allow getting married out of state and returning to live.
Instead of spending time in prison, the Lovings were ordered to leave the state of Virginia. After years of struggle, they won the right to live in peace as husband and wife. The case also paved the way for other states to follow suite in allowing interracial marriages. My husband is white and I am black. If it weren’t for this couple, we probably wouldn’t have been able to get married and my little Princess probably wouldn’t have been born. This victory happened in 1967. It doesn’t seem that long ago. So now when I think about the day my baby girl was baptized, I will be thinking about the Loving family. My husband and I will celebrate our own lovely union as an interracial couple as well as the baptism of our little Princess. One advice I can give is when writing a baptism card, make sure to include the important aspects people expect to see on such cards.
