NEWS & FEATURES
Black History Month: Loving v. Virginia connec Lisa Bishop U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden
The theme for African American/Black History Month for 2021 is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity.” Sgt. 1st Class Shannon Wyatt, U.S. Army Europe and Africa advisor at the Equal Opportunity Program Managers Office, highlighted the Supreme Court ruling of Loving v. Virginia this year as a part of the celebration month’s focus on family diversity. In this 1967 landmark civil rights decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that interracial marriage bans were unconstitutional. Mildred L oving, a Black woman of dual heritage, and Richard, her white husband, were sentenced to a year in prison for marrying in 1958. The unanimous Supreme Court decision overturned all racebased legal restrictions on marriage in the U.S, stating those laws violated the Equal Protection Clause by restricting activity based on race.
More recently, Loving v. Virginia served as a part of the foundation for removing the last barrier to samesex marriage in the United States. In 2013 Loving v. Virginia was cited as precedent in federal court cases on same-sex marriages. By 2015, the Supreme Court overturned bans on same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. “It is truly an inspirational story and needs to be talked about more,” Wyatt said. “Today interracial couples can just sign the paperwork to get married; but that wasn’t the case for the Loving’s. They had to endure so much to stay married.” For two families in the German military community, Loving v. Virginia and other moments in Black history are poignantly connected to their contemporary lives.
The Tabbert Family For some families, like Nathan and Jessica Tabbert, an interracial couple married for 15 years, the connection to Loving v. Virginia is obvious. “Only 40 years before our marriage there were states where it would have been illegal,” said Jessica, an administrative officer at USAREUR-AF. “My mom was alive when it was illegal.” Nathan is an equal opportunity advisor for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade and links some of his fondest family moments to Black History Month. “Some of my earliest memories of Jessica and the kids are related to Black history,” Nathan said. It was at a Black History Month celebration in Hawaii that Nathan met Jessica’s two children from a previous marriage, marking a turning point in the seriousness of their relationship. Both Tabberts are quick to reminisce their family participation in Black History Month celebrations with their four children: meeting the Tuskegee airmen; playing Dorothy Dandridge in a performance; and even a 20-minute speech on the 50th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia in 2017.
Courtesy photo
Master Sgt. Nathan Tabbert, equal op por tunity advisor for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, proposes to Jessica Tabbert, an administrative officer at USAREUR-AF, at a crab feast in Oahu in 2006. At the time, both were serving in the 732nd MI BN as intelligence analysts.
Photo by Andrew Green of Imani J. Photography
Jessica Tabbert, administrative officer at USAREUR-AF, grew up in Florida. Husband, Master Sgt. Nathan Tabbert, equal opportunity advisor for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, and, their four children (left to right: Olesia, Arianna, Elaina and Isaiah) enjoy Melbourne Beach in 2017.
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Herald Union
Feb. 18, 2021
Photo by Lisa Bishops/U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden
Jessica Tabbert, administrative officer at USAREUR-AF, husband, Master Sgt. Nathan Tabbert, equal opportunity advisor for the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, and, their four children (Front: Olesia, 20 and Elaina, 11. Back: Arianna, 13 and Isaiah, 21) hike in the woods with their dog, Lucky, outside of Wiesbaden Jan. 29.
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