CHAPTER 8 通読用英文
A Loving Story
1
It was 2 a.m. Richard and I were fast asleep in our bedroom. Suddenly someone banged on the door. We were shocked to see an angry police officer standing there.
“Who is that woman?” the officer said to my husband, pointing at me. “She’s my wife, sir,” Richard answered. “That’s illegal!” the police officer shouted.
I am black, and Richard is white. At that time, marriage between white people and black people was unusual in the United States. In fact, Virginia was one of the states where such marriages were not legal. Because of this, Richard and I had traveled to Washington, D.C. to get married.
We were arrested at our house in Virginia because somebody had reported our marriage to the police. Now we had to make a difficult decision: go to jail for a year, or leave Virginia for 25 years. I was expecting a baby, so we chose to move.
2
We moved to Washington, D.C., and I had three beautiful children. Although we were allowed to live and raise a family there, life was not easy. Richard had difficulty finding work as a builder. I, too, found it hard to raise three children in a small apartment in a crowded area.
One day, our younger son was accidentally hit by a car while walking in the street. Fortunately, he wasn’t badly hurt, but this was not what I had hoped for when we moved there. So I made up my mind to fight for my family’s right to live in Virginia. I wrote the following to an important government official, the Attorney General of the United States: “Sir, I know we are not legally allowed to live together in Virginia, although we are married. However, we want to go back and be with our friends and relatives again. Will you please help us?”
A few weeks later, we received a phone call. “My name is Bernard Cohen,” he said. “I’m a lawyer working to help people like you.” Mr. Cohen explained that the Attorney General sent my letter to him. He offered us legal support for free, and our fight began!
3
The early 1960s was a time when millions of people across the country were standing up for equal rights. They marched together with signs and spoke out against racial injustice. Why did black people and white people have to go to different schools? Why did black people have to sit at the back of buses? There were even different restrooms and different doors to enter restaurants. Why?
* * *
Mr. Cohen said to me and my husband Richard, “Why don’t you share your story with newspapers and magazines
At first, we turned down the idea, because we never wanted to be well-known. But Mr. Cohen finally changed our minds. Soon our photos appeared in many newspapers and magazines around the country, and the results were surprising. Thousands of people, both blacks and whites, read about our problem and supported us.
However, the court case wasn’t going very well. One judge said, “Racial purity must be maintained!” Another said, “God made the different races. He never wanted them to mix!”
Finally, our case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court.
4
The day before the final decision, Mr. Cohen came to meet with us. I told him how I felt: “I’m afraid that we will lose.” My voice was trembling.
“Don’t worry, ma’am.” said Mr. Cohen, “Justice always wins in the end.” Then he asked Richard, “Anything to tell the court?”
Richard thought for a moment, with his arm around my shoulders. Then he said, “Tell the judge I love my wife.”
* * *
On June 12, 1967, the court handed down the final decision. “Under the Constitution, every person has the right to marry someone from another race.” Mildred first heard about the decision through a phone call. Grasping the phone tightly, she remained silent for a while. She was too happy to say anything. They had won! That was the day when mixed marriage became legal everywhere in the U.S.
Mildred and Richard returned to Virginia with their children and lived there happily. At last the Lovings had truly and legally become a “loving” family.
1
It was 2 a.m. Richard and I were fast asleep in our bedroom. Suddenly someone banged on the door. We were shocked to see an angry police officer standing there.
“Who is that woman?” the officer said to my husband, pointing at me. “She’s my wife, sir,” Richard answered. “That’s illegal!” the police officer shouted.
I am black, and Richard is white. At that time, marriage between white people and black people was unusual in the United States. In fact, Virginia was one of the states where such marriages were not legal. Because of this, Richard and I had traveled to Washington, D.C. to get married.
We were arrested at our house in Virginia because somebody had reported our marriage to the police. Now we had to make a difficult decision: go to jail for a year, or leave Virginia for 25 years. I was expecting a baby, so we chose to move.
2
We moved to Washington, D.C., and I had three beautiful children. Although we were allowed to live and raise a family there, life was not easy. Richard had difficulty finding work as a builder. I, too, found it hard to raise three children in a small apartment in a crowded area.
One day, our younger son was accidentally hit by a car while walking in the street. Fortunately, he wasn’t badly hurt, but this was not what I had hoped for when we moved there. So I made up my mind to fight for my family’s right to live in Virginia. I wrote the following to an important government official, the Attorney General of the United States: “Sir, I know we are not legally allowed to live together in Virginia, although we are married. However, we want to go back and be with our friends and relatives again. Will you please help us?”
A few weeks later, we received a phone call. “My name is Bernard Cohen,” he said. “I’m a lawyer working to help people like you.” Mr. Cohen explained that the Attorney General sent my letter to him. He offered us legal support for free, and our fight began!
3
The early 1960s was a time when millions of people across the country were standing up for equal rights. They marched together with signs and spoke out against racial injustice. Why did black people and white people have to go to different schools? Why did black people have to sit at the back of buses? There were even different restrooms and different doors to enter restaurants. Why?
* * *
Mr. Cohen said to me and my husband Richard, “Why don’t you share your story with newspapers and magazines
At first, we turned down the idea, because we never wanted to be well-known. But Mr. Cohen finally changed our minds. Soon our photos appeared in many newspapers and magazines around the country, and the results were surprising. Thousands of people, both blacks and whites, read about our problem and supported us.
However, the court case wasn’t going very well. One judge said, “Racial purity must be maintained!” Another said, “God made the different races. He never wanted them to mix!”
Finally, our case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court.
4
The day before the final decision, Mr. Cohen came to meet with us. I told him how I felt: “I’m afraid that we will lose.” My voice was trembling.
“Don’t worry, ma’am.” said Mr. Cohen, “Justice always wins in the end.” Then he asked Richard, “Anything to tell the court?”
Richard thought for a moment, with his arm around my shoulders. Then he said, “Tell the judge I love my wife.”
* * *
On June 12, 1967, the court handed down the final decision. “Under the Constitution, every person has the right to marry someone from another race.” Mildred first heard about the decision through a phone call. Grasping the phone tightly, she remained silent for a while. She was too happy to say anything. They had won! That was the day when mixed marriage became legal everywhere in the U.S.
Mildred and Richard returned to Virginia with their children and lived there happily. At last the Lovings had truly and legally become a “loving” family.
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