loving rights.

The story of the Lovings is really quite something. It is being brought back to life next month when the HBO documentary, "The Loving Story" will debut on Valentine's Day. At the same time, the International Center of Photography currently has a special exhibit showing the photos taken of the couple by Grey Villet in the 1950s. And to top it all off, the NYTimes has been highlighting the story and photos this past week. If all of this hasn't peaked your interest, let me give you some more.

Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Loving, of African and Indian American descent, were married in the 1950s and arrested in Virginia for miscegenation.

Their battle to justify their marriage was taken all the way to the Supreme Court. Ultimately, the case led to the Court's ruling that all race-based marriage bans were unconstitutional. The argument was that the right to love is a basic human right.

The pictures that Grey Villet took of the Lovings add texture and life to the story. I can only imagine how powerful these pictures of real love must have been in the 1950s in the thick of such incredible racism. Their bravery and sheer confidence in their rightness is, simply put, beyond admirable. Obviously, the relevance to today has not been lost.

One last bit to the Loving's story...when asked by his lawyer if he wanted to tell the Supreme Court anything, Richard said, "Tell the Court I love my wife".