#OTD in 1967 the Supreme Court stuck down laws banning interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia.
In September 1954, John Billy & his group, "The Honey Boys," were performing at an all-white club in Baltimore when he spotted Shirley Howard, a white woman, and asked for a dance.
In September 1954, John Billy & his group, "The Honey Boys," were performing at an all-white club in Baltimore when he spotted Shirley Howard, a white woman, and asked for a dance.
Their connection was immediate. Shirley's mother insisted she stay away from John, but there was no stopping their love. When Shirley gave birth to their first child two years later, their son was taken to an orphanage & Shirley was arrested.
She spent a day & a half in jail before paying $1,000 bail for "permitting herself to be begotten with child by a negro or mulatto." Shirley was the only person be prosecuted in MD under the law.
On April 22, 1957, a judge dismissed the indictment against Shirley & declared the law written in 1715 as unconstitutional. She & John later married in D.C. in 1958 as interracial marriage was still illegal in MD.
The couple moved back to Baltimore, where they still live today. It took two more years to get their son back. Despite all they endured, John and Shirley say their faith and love helped them overcome racism, discrimination and a 241-year-old law. #LovingDay #MarylandHistory
