By Williesha Morris, a graduate of the University South Carolina who has spent the majority of her career as a writer, journalist or administrative assistant. She is a resident of Tuscaloosa.

One of the greatest things that make me smile is when an employee of a large or busy business looks at my husband and I and say, "Oh, yes. I remember you!"

We are jokesters as a couple, so we say things like, "Well, that's because we're so amazing." Sometimes I think it's because we're an interracial couple, and we stand out because of our rarity, especially in T-Town. (But seriously, we are a really awesome couple, so we'll never know for sure. *wink*)

Yes, not all of the attention is positive, but comments like that far outweigh any negative looks or comments here and in Birmingham, which was my first home when I moved here.

Since 2013, we've celebrated our love and the path through history that allow us to be together. That's "Loving Day," which celebrates the June 12, 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia that declared all anti-miscegenation marriage bans illegal. We are celebrating again this year on June 18.

Unfortunately, Alabama was the last state to remove this defunct language from their constitution in 2000. That makes the need for a celebration of diversity even more important. We want to show the rest of the country how we've changed.

However, I've never given proper credit to the organization that started it all. Ken Tanabe, the founder of Loving Day, has taken time out of his schedule to participate in one of our local events virtually and appreciates my husband Jason and I sharing our story.

Williesha and Jason Morris (photo courtesy of the Morris family)

This time, I want to support them to see tangible changes - financially. There will be another free event presented by Rojo Birmingham on June 18 from 2 to 5 p.m. and additional celebrating with Magic City Sweet Ice. Plus, there's a crowdfunding campaign for LovingDay.org.

Donors help a wonderful organization and get some official Loving Day gear. About 20 percent of the funds will help feed the first 10 people who arrive at the event.

The impact of Loving Day goes beyond sharing the history of an unfamiliar civil rights case and remembering the brave couple who endured it those many years ago.

LovingDay.org aims to "fight racial prejudice through education" and assists creatives, students of all ages, and multiethnic community organizations to celebrate diversity. This is not an event requested or planned by the official organization. It's just a way to say thank you for their work of more than a decade.

Here are two lessons I've learned from that historic case and the Loving family.

Never, ever stop fighting for something that matters to you, even if it means nothing to everyone else.

The battle that the Loving's fought was nearly 10 years long. They were married in Washington, D.C., where interracial marriage was legal, and settled back into their small-town life in Virginia. Unfortunately, interracial couples back then weren't even allowed to live in Virginia.

They were arrested and tried and forced to uproot their growing family back and forth to downtown D.C. in secret. It was their only option besides staying in jail, getting a divorce and never coming back to Virginia for 25 years.

They weren't a rich family and given that this was the late 1950s, racism was everywhere, even in our nation's capitol. You can imagine how tough this was while raising three young children.

Out of desperation, they wrote to the U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who referred them to the American Civil Liberties Union. The rest is, of course, life-changing history.

While interracial marriage is much more acceptable nowadays, bigotry is still a problem. Local couples like the owners of Magic City Sweet Ice, who are participating this year, have suffered some unwanted attention due to bigotry.

Ironically, I must bring attention to ourselves to be treated normally. Some people say that's counterproductive. Why dwell in the past and remind people of how different we are if we wanted to be treated like everyone else?

Because the stigma is still there. In order to raise money or awareness of any ill affecting our country, whether it be a social ill or a disease, it must be talked about over and over again. Racism is an unfortunate element of our country.

The only way change happened during the Civil Rights movement was for people to act. Because of their sacrifice I must continue to act.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." This quote from the late anthropologist and author Margaret Mead is one of my favorites.

Richard and Mildred Loving never anticipated becoming civil rights activists. They just wanted safety and stability for them and their children.

The impact of "Loving Day" in my life began when I watched "The Loving Story" documentary and started digging around on Google in 2012, a few months before getting married. The folks at Loving Day.org and the thousands of people who create and attend events are changing the world one dance party, movie viewing or discussion at a time.

My events haven't been huge, much like this Supreme Court case was completely unknown to me until four years ago.

Do I think I can change the minds of approximately 40 percent of Alabama's population, who were polled in 2000 and wanted the interracial marriage bans to stay? Maybe not. But what I can do is bring together the folks who celebrate multiculturalism and diversity.

My words weren't the only things that brought people to these local events. My family and friends, plus media organizations like AL.com and WBHM made it happen. We are few, but we are great.

With your support, you can grow LovingDay.org, and this free event can be a little more special for those who attend.

Here's how you can help:

1. Attend the event. This is going to be a casual party with great food from Rojo and door prizes, but we'd love to pack the place. If you're not on Facebook, RSVP via email - lovingdayal@gmail.com.

2. Donate as little as $5. If we exceed our goal, there will be more free food and possibly a second day added with a viewing of "The Loving Story."

The Loving Day store merchandise directly benefits the official organization. But you don't have to select a perk in order to donate. If you see something else from the store you'd like, purchase it then send an email to lovingdayal@gmail.com to get credit as a donor.

3. Share the event and the crowdfunding campaign far and wide by signing up for the mailing list. If you're a blogger or podcaster, I'd love to be a guest to chat or write about this event. I'll also provide some Tweets and Facebook posts to share and give updates.