Loving Change

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that declared it unconstitutional for states to legally enforce the banning of interracial marriages. I'm only 45 years old so this decision came 5 years before I born. The lawsuit was brought against the state of Virginia but effectively made it illegal for the other 23 states to enforce. That is correct. Most reports name the 16 states that were still enforcing the ban but there were 8 other states where it was still illegal but wasn't being enforced. That is half the country and this was only 50 years ago.

Milford Virginia is only 500 miles south of New York City but as anyone born and raised in New York City knows, you can go just a few blocks in any direction in this city and feel like you're in a different world. Back then Milford may have felt like a different galaxy. Change inevitably comes and people are mostly resistant when it does. Most of us are creatures of comfort but learning to embrace or better yet, seeking change is a portal to growth. I know people who still have never been outside New York City.

As we evolve and grow so many new things become available to us. Our situations and our immediate surroundings influence the way we think so it is understandable if someone has reservations about going against that grain but that shouldn't stop anyone from wanting to explore. Stepping outside our self imposed comfort zones can be as exhilarating as it is scaring, it all depends how on he choose to frame it.

Venturing off and exploring new things whether it is in person, in books and sparking that desire to learn about people, places, and things outside of what we are familiar with will only lead to forward thinking and open up world's that didn't exist prior. One of the most vital things one may learn is that people have far more in common that what makes us different.

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