Jake and Mary Jacobs marked their 70th anniversary of a happy marriage last year, but their journey wasn’t simple.
Mary, who is White, and Jake, who is Black, lived in the same city in 1940s Britain. At that time, there weren’t many Black men there.
Even though Mary’s father told her to leave, Mary chose love over easy choices.
“When I told my father I was going to marry Jake, he said, ‘If you marry that man, you will never set foot in this house again.’”
Mary and Jake first met at a technical college where Mary was learning typing and shorthand, and Jake was undergoing Air Force training. They met during the war when Jake moved from Trinidad to Britain.
Jake impressed Mary with his understanding of Shakespeare, and they got to know each other. One day, they invited Mary and her friend to join them for a picnic. Unfortunately, someone passing by saw them and reported Mary to her father. The woman was shocked to see two English girls talking with black guys. After this incident, Mary wasn’t allowed to visit her father again.
After Jake returned to Trinidad, they kept in touch through letters. A few years later, he came back to the U.K. to find a better-paying job.
Jake surprised Mary by proposing, and she, at 19, said yes. However, when she told her family, they kicked her out.
“I left with only one small suitcase. No family came to our registry office wedding in 1948.”
Mary’s father was upset about her marrying a black man, and Mary didn’t realize that society felt the same way.
The early years of their marriage in Birmingham were tough. Mary cried every day, hardly ate, and they faced many challenges. Nobody would talk to them, they couldn’t find a place to live because nobody would rent to a black man, and they had little money.
Even walking down the street together was hard because people would point at them, Mary explained.
Mary and Jake were excited to become parents, but at eight months, Mary gave birth to a stillborn child. She mentioned it wasn’t due to the stress she was under, but it deeply saddened them, and they didn’t have any more children.
As time passed, their lives improved. Mary became a teacher and eventually an assistant principal, while Jake found a job with the Post Office. They made new friends, but Mary felt the need to explain to people that her husband was black before introducing them.
“My father passed away when I was 30, and even though we reconciled by then, he never approved of Jake,” she shared.
Currently, Jake, 89, and Mary, 84, live in Solihull, a town south of Birmingham. They recently celebrated 70 years of marriage.
Jake said he has no regrets, but he also mentioned that today’s black youth may not fully understand the challenges he faced in 1940s Britain.
“When I arrived in the U.K., I faced abuse every day. Once, on a bus, a man rubbed his hands on my neck and said, ‘I wanted to see if the dirt would come off.’ Back then, working in an office as a black man with white girls wasn’t considered safe,” Jake explained.
Despite all the challenges, bias, and abuse, the pair is still deeply in love and has no regrets about being married. They have been happily married for more than 70 years.
These two are a true inspiration, and I wish them a lifetime of pleasure because of the love they have for one another.
Be a Genius Now! Spot the Mistake in the Kitchen Picture Within a Mere 5 Seconds!
Become a Genius Right Now! Find the Error in the Kitchen Image in Just Five Seconds!
Try your analytical skills with this quick visual puzzle: in only five seconds, can you identify the error in the kitchen image?
These kinds of brain teasers are well-known for being fascinating and occasionally confusing, providing excellent opportunities for developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative skills.
These enjoyable and useful mental exercises, which include logical, mathematical, and visual difficulties, help maintain mental acuity.
Now take a close look at the kitchen image and test your keen observational abilities.
Will you be able to spot the error in the allotted five seconds??
Examine the situation closely in order to identify the anomaly.
Recall that geniuses are excellent observers of subtleties that others might overlook.
This brainteaser requires accuracy. Sharp observation can highlight minute errors that are frequently missed by the untrained eye.
Congratulations if, in the limited time, you were able to identify the difference!
Try your fast-witted eyes with this quick visual puzzle.
Look at the kitchen photo again closely, and in only five seconds, see if you can see the error.
Can you identify the mistake before the allotted time runs out? That is the task.
Focus on the teapot in the picture in a split second.
The teapot’s spout is positioned abnormally low, which is the error.
In order to provide a steady and even pour, teapot spouts are usually located higher on the body.
In the five seconds, were you able to identify the low-hanging fruit?
Your excellent attention to detail is evident in your ability to detect even the smallest differences! Excellent work!
Leave a Reply