To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the passage of 13th Amendment,, HSP has partnered with the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center, the Philadelphia History Museum, and the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia to host screenings of four documentaries featuring riveting new footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America. 

In this program of the series, we will view clips from The Loving Story and consider legal battles over the question of who can get married and who gets to decide.

The documentary explores the experiences of Mildred and Richard Loving. While they knew it was technically illegal for them to live as a married couple in Virginia - because she was of African American and Native American descent and he was white -  they never expected to be woken up in their bedroom and arrested one night in 1958. The documentary brings to life the Lovings’ marriage and the legal battle that followed through little-known filmed interviews and photographs shot for Life magazine.