A British woman fell in love with a Black man during a time when interracial dating was prohibited in Britain. She had to choose between following her emotions or abandoning her family. This is her tale.
During the 1940s, British lady Mary was taking typing and shorthand lessons at a technical college when she encountered Jake, a soldier from Trinidad who was part of the American forces sent to the United Kingdom by the Air Force for training.
The ladies were pleasantly surprised to learn that Jake and his military friends could speak English when they called Mary and her friend to talk. They began conversing, and Jake quoted Shakespeare for Mary, which she adored.
A couple of weeks later, they went on a picnic, and trouble ensued when a woman who observed Mary at the picnic reported her to her father, who forbade her to see him again.
Jake returned to Trinidad, but the couple continued to correspond, and after a few years he returned to the United Kingdom in search of higher-paying employment.
Mary agreed to marry Jake at the age of 19, but her father threw her out of the house because he was outraged by her decision to marry a Black man. Mary married Jake in 1948 with nothing more than a small luggage, and none of her family was present.
CHALLENGING FIRST YEAR OF MARRIAGE
Mary was shocked to discover that society viewed interracial couples with as much disdain as the people who pointed at them whenever they walked down the street together.
The couple, who resided in Birmingham, had trouble renting apartments because no one was willing to house a Black male. They had no friends and no money due to Jake’s inability to obtain employment. Upon reflection:
“Back then, you were unable to work in an office because it was deemed unsafe for a black man to be in an office with all white women.”
Mary gave birth to a stillborn child eight months into her pregnancy, compounding their problems. It devastated her heart, and the couple determined that they would not have any more children.
PROGRESS
Thankfully, the couple’s circumstances improved. Mary obtained teaching positions and became an assistant teacher, while Jake first worked in a factory and then at a post office.
They also began making new acquaintances, but before inviting such individuals into their home, they would inform them of their interracial marriage. Although they reconciled before his demise, Mary’s father never approved of her decision to marry Jake; he passed away when she was 30.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
In 2018, Mary and Jake, who have been married for more than seven decades, explained that they were fortunate to have met and married one another.
Jake disclosed that it continues to bother him that they were never fully accepted by society. He explained that a man once rubbed his hands on his neck and said, “I wanted to see if the dirt would come off” when discussing his struggles with prejudice.
After decades of marriage, the couple continues to actively cultivate their relationship. For example, Jake cooks every day except when kosher guests are expected. Even though there is no cure for Mary’s mild case of Alzheimer’s, the physicians are doing their best.
In 1967, unlike Jake and Mary, high school sweethearts Howard Foster and Myra Clark were forced to part ways due to the tension surrounding interracial relationships in America.
Foster decided to terminate his relationship with his white girlfriend because he could not allow Clark to endure the difficulties of their relationship. However, 45 years later, they ultimately reunited and wed. Here is the complete story.
