June 17, 2021

Over the past 20 years, the month of June has become well-known as Pride Month, a month dedicated to uplifting and celebrating LGBTQ cultures and rights, as many cities worldwide celebrate by hosting traditional parades and raising awareness for the continual strive for love, equality and inclusion.

In the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion landscape, however, June is also a time to acknowledge and celebrate other significant events and movements. These lesser-known June events include National Loving Day, for example. This day, celebrated on June 12, commemorates a day in history when the U.S. Supreme court ruled in favor of disbanding what were called miscegenation laws in the case of Loving vs. Virginia 1967. Miscegenation is an older term for marriage or interbreeding among different races, and restrictions on miscegenation existed as early as the colonial era. Of the 50 U.S. states, only 9 had a law against interracial marriage at some point in their history.

For those curious about interracial marriage statistics in the U.S. from 1967 to 2017, here are some quick facts:

  • 3% - Percentage of newlyweds in the U.S. who intermarried in 1967.
  • 17% - Percentage of all U.S. newlyweds who had a spouse of a different race or ethnicity in 2015.
  • 11% - Number of people in the U.S. who intermarried in 2015.
  • 39% - Percentage of adults in the U.S. who said that marrying someone of a different race is good for society, according to a survey conducted in 2017.

In addition to Loving Day, other celebrations in the month of June include the Race Unity/Race Amity Day, which raises awareness to the importance of racial harmony and understanding; the United States Puerto Rican Day Parade, honoring inhabitants of Puerto Rico residing in the United States; and the Native American Citizenship Day, which commemorates a day in 1924 when the U.S. Congress passed legislation recognizing the citizenship of Native Americans.

Demonstrated by the various June events geared towards raising awareness, our uniqueness as human beings connect us. Love is the central piece that conquers all, no matter what, and, at Epstein, we look to actively celebrate love beyond our boundaries. Love can change the world for those who believe.