06/12/2026
Happy Loving Day from the Mayor, Town Council and Town Staff!
Loving Day, observed annually on June 12, commemorates the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia that struck down laws banning in*******al marriage.
Loving Day honors Richard and Mildred Loving, an in*******al couple from Bowling Green who married in 1958 in Washington, D.C., because in*******al marriage was illegal at that time. After returning to Virginia, they were arrested and forced to leave the state under threat of jail. Their legal challenge eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously on June 12, 1967, that laws prohibiting in*******al marriage violated the Fourteenth Amendment and were unconstitutional. Although not an official federal holiday, National Loving Day is observed annually through community events, educational programs, social media campaigns, and personal celebrations worldwide. A marker is located on the Historic Caroline County Courthouse campus that was recently added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.
The observance encourages reflection on the ongoing work of inclusion and the celebration of love across racial and cultural boundaries.
