Happy Loving Day from Rollin With the Dolans
June 12 marks Loving Day, the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia, which made interracial marriage legal in every U.S. state.
Mildred and Richard Loving didn’t set out to be civil rights heroes—they just wanted to stay married. But their quiet courage paved the way for countless couples, including us.
Because of their bravery, we’re free to live and love openly as husband and wife. And we don’t take that for granted.
👉 Learn more at lovingday.org
What Would We Have Thought in 1990?
We’ve talked about it lately: if we had met back in high school—Tamekia in 1990, Patrick in 1992—would we have even considered being together?
Probably not. Not because we wouldn’t have liked each other, but because the idea of a Black woman and a white man being together just wasn’t something either of us grew up seeing regularly.
But today? We didn’t hesitate. When we met, we saw each other clearly—and knew we had something real.
Do People Stare? Maybe. But We’re Not Concerned.
People sometimes ask if we get stares when we’re out together. Truth is, we don’t really notice.
We live in our own happy little bubble. But if someone is staring, Patrick’s convinced they’re just thinking:
“Wow, he got lucky.”
(No argument here.)
Raising a Multicultural Family Means Seeing Through a New Lens
We’re raising a multicultural, blended family—Tamekia has Black children, and Patrick has white children. Together, we’re navigating what it looks like to love and lead a family that doesn’t all look the same.
We call them bonus kids, but they’re all just our kids.
For Patrick, that’s meant learning how to think differently. There are things he never had to consider before—like how people may view his Black step-sons, or the assumptions strangers might make in public settings. It’s not about fear—it’s about awareness.
For Tamekia, the shift has been learning to love and guide children who don’t share her background—but who feel every bit like her own. And like most families, we’ve had to merge parenting styles, experiences, and expectations.
It hasn’t always been seamless. But it’s been honest, respectful, and rooted in love.
What We’ve Learned—And What We’d Tell Other Couples
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Love is powerful—but communication is essential. Talk through your differences, especially when parenting.
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You don’t have to match to belong. Your family may not “look” like others—but it’s just as real.
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Let your kids see unity. They’ll take their cues from how you treat each other.
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If someone doesn’t support you, that’s their problem. Not yours.
To the Lovings—Thank You.
Your courage made it possible for families like ours to exist and thrive.
You weren’t trying to change the world. But you did.
Happy Loving Day from our family to yours.
Let love lead—no matter what it looks like on the outside.
With gratitude,
Patrick & Tamekia Dolan
rollinwiththedolans.com
