The Story from APM

Interracial Marriage

Monday, June 23 2008

Interracial Marriage

Alvin and Omelia Garner - larger >>

With same sex marriage now legal in California, the question of who gets to marry whom is generating big headlines. Today Dick Gordon talks to a couple at the heart of another historic battle over marriage rights, only this one happened 40 years ago.

When Alvin and Omelia Garner tied the knot in 1968, they were among the first interracial couples to get married in North Carolina. For years Alvin's parents refused to meet or speak with Omelia. But the couple weathered the stares and the scorn. Over this past weekend, they renewed their vows.

• See them at last weekend's ceremony
  
• Read a newspaper article about Alvin and Omelia from 1968
• Hear a radio report about this couple from WUNC's Leoneda Inge.
  

Air BRUSH WITH FAME

Dan Crane

From time to time, Dick talks to people who've had a brush with fame that forever changed them. Dan Crane's brush with fame came as a near-celebrity himself. Dan's a professional air guitarist and performs under the name Bjorn Turoque ("born to rock"). He's competed several times in the world championships held each year in Oulu, Finland, but as he tells Dick, he's a perpetual second-place finisher. But he still finds playing air guitar fulfilling—even though there's no "there" there.

• See photos of Bjorn playing the air guitar at his Web site
• Learn more about air guitar competitions