eb. 14. is the date of love for most couples, but for interracial couples across the nation, June 12, 1967 allows these couples to truly enjoy Valentine’s Day.
“Loving Day” commemorates the day that the Supreme Court decided in the Loving v. Virginia case to make it illegal to restrict interracial couples and marriages, according to lovingday.org.
Now, 37 years later, Richard Mupfudze a senior from Zimbabwe and Trisha Mupfudze a senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., can enjoy Valentine’s Day and reap the benefits of this celebration.
As freshmen, the two realized that their similarities out weighed the fact that Mupfudze is black and Trisha is white.
Both were Hilltopper athletes – Trisha a diver and Mupfudze a soccer player.
The couple said finding Jesus brought them closer together.
Mupfudze said their mothers dying within in a week of each other when they were both 16 also made them lean on one another for support. After a year of being friends, both say their relationship became official.
Mupfudze admits that he initially had fears about dating a white woman.
“I couldn’t allow it to be a factor,” he said. “The whole reason we got together was divinely put together.”
Trisha said Mupfudze’s sweet, “foreign” personality drew her in immediately.
She said she had no problem dating a black man, but her friends did give her some flack.
“It became a joke, because I always have found black men attractive,” Trisha said. “I’ve always been the type of person to see everyone the same.”
But Mupfudze’s friends did not know at first that they were dating.
Louisville senior Clay McMillan said his two friends had a closer connection than just friendship without Mupfudze telling him.
“Some people in society might not think it’s the right thing to do, but they’re the closest couple I know,” he said.
Mupfudze has the support of his friends, but he was not sure what his family thought of his girlfriend.
“I really didn’t think about family or anyone,” he said. “When people say they’re in love, that’s all you can care about.”
The couple said hanging around a group of open-minded and multi-cultural people allowed them to have a lot of support.
Their own multicultural backgrounds allowed them to learn from one another.
“I got to see the other side of the pie,” Mupfudze said. “I could tell her what I’ve experienced and she could tell me her experiences.”
Trisha said she gained knowledge of Mupfudze’s African culture and is still learning his languages of Shona and Ndebele.
Both said their marriage seven months ago was a blessing.
They will celebrate Valentine’s Day with a trip to Nashville, but the holiday does not define their love.
“We try to have Valentine’s everyday,” Trisha said. “That’s why we’re truly happy.”
Radcliffe senior Tina Brown and Bosnian graduate student Edin Snajlagic share a lot in common with the Mupfudzes.
They are from different parts of the world, and Brown said their connection was also immediate.
When they met in Daytona, Fla., in 2003, Brown said she thought Snajlagic was beautiful.
Snajlagic said he thought Brown was cute and outgoing.
His family agreed.
“They have no problem with it,” he said. “Whoever’s good for you is good for us.”
Brown said Snajlagic’s race was not a problem with her, because she had been attracted to men of all races.
She was also not concerned with other people’s opinion of their relationship.
“My mom said they talked about Jesus,” she said. “So, I didn’t care about people talking about me.”
Snajlagic said he did have a problem with close-mindedness.
“One guy at work said he disliked black people,” he said. “I told him I was dating a black person and that I didn’t like that.”
Snajlagic’s family was supportive, but like in America, there are some double standards, he said.
“They’re accepting if males date outside their race, but when black girls date white guys, it’s different,” he said.
Brown’s friend, Shanecka Powell of Radcliffe, said she always accepted their relationship, but there are some differences with multicultural relationships.
“There might be some things she doesn’t understand and some things he doesn’t understand,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter what race you are – it’s who you love.”
Brown agreed and said though they will go out for Valentine’s Day, she does not need the holiday to measure their love.
“Valentine’s Day is just a Hallmark holiday,” she said. “I know he loves me and I love him.”
Mupfudze said more than celebrating Loving Day or Valentine’s Day, interracial couples are chaging the world.
“There’s a lot of boundaries we’re stepping over,” he said. “We’re expressing our love, not hiding anything. When you hide, you get short-changed.”
Reach Stephanie Toone at features@wkuherald.com.
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