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.
Men Singing ‘You Raise Me Up’ Will Give You Chills
Any kind of music can benefit from an effective acapella song, whether it’s because the vocalists can hold the listener’s attention or because there aren’t any unnecessary instruments that call attention to the lyrics.
This is particularly true of the acapella performance of Josh Groban’s 2003 hit song “You Raise Me Up” by Brigham Young University (BYU) Vocal Point. They breathe new life into this upbeat song.
Learners In 1991, Dave Boyce and Bob Ahlander started BYU Vocal Point, an acapella group. The quartet became well-known on campus after their debut performance, which was sold out.
Not only did BYU Vocal Point finish fifth in the third season of NBC’s The Sing-Off, but since its founding, the group has received additional awards.
When they revealed on social media in December 2018 that they had signed a record deal with the classical label Decca Gold, part of the Universal Music Group, they became even more well-known for their talent.
“We’re just regular college students doing amazing things,” said member Jason Bromley.
The vocal performance in the “You Raise Me Up” music video is powerful.
The gorgeous landscape of mountains and valleys serves as the backdrop for the music video for “You Raise Me Up.”
The tape starts with a single, distinct voice, and a second later, another one harmonizes with it to create a rich, multilayered sound.
In addition to their crisp, bright vocals, the group produces amazing vocal percussion noises.
The vocalists’ performance of the song gets more engrossing as they move through the hilly landscape.
The situation nearly descends into an overly serene condition, demonstrating the ability of music to carry listeners away.
It’s hard to tell who the lead singers are because of how well their harmonies mesh.
They offer a strikingly distinctive interpretation of this much covered song, rather than just copying the original.
The song incorporates their distinct style and arrangement, and the new hook at the end improves the harmonies. An extra student chorus supports the crescendo, resulting in an incredibly potent finale.
You will love BYU Vocal Point’s amazing performance of “You Raise Me Up.” Enjoy this memorable and moving performance while you relax.
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