The license is important to my family and I because it represents an expansion of civil rights for African-American people in the United States. There weren’t any legally recognized marriages until only decades before the one between my great-great-grandparents. The fact that they were able to do this is symbolic of the Civil Rights Movement and post-slavery government sectors did a lot to get black people closer to equality in America. It’s essential to my community that items that seem as mundane as a marriage license are kept because it serves as a reminder of how far we’ve come over the last 150+ years.

– Devin M.

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more