Black Prom, White Prom for Georgia Kids
Hooray for progress! Er, well, maybe not.
Because 55 years after Topeka vs. Board of Education called for the desegregation of public schools, there are still kids in spots around the South who attend segregated proms. White kids have their prom one night. Black kids have theirs another.
It’s a story that’s getting national attention thanks to actor Morgan Freeman’s decision to fund an integrated prom in Mississippi, where he grew up, for one school – helping to desegregate the schools once and for all. The story is the focus of a documentary set to air on HBO in July.
But even while Freeman’s alma mater, Charleston High School, has made the jump, there are still plenty of schools left that haven’t. Like the Georgia high school profiled in the New York Times late last week. In a place where white kids still throw up their hands and excuse their behavior with, “It
Worry not, biracial girls would have no problem going to black prom, black boys are known to fancy lighter skinned females. However, the black girls may not so thrilled about the idea of a mulatto girl getting more attention from the black boys.
So if we do move South (looking at GA) what is my BI racial daughter suppose to do? Go to both or go to neither? Dang…
The white students seemed happy in the picture, if that’s what they want I’d say it’s OK, isn’t there something called ‘freedom of association’?
There should be a separate prom for idiots. They might need a bigger ballroom.
Shocked. I guess I have just never heard of these things having grown up and lived on the West coast my entire life. I thought this only happened in the movies.
Shaking my head.
We did have a self-segregated cafeteria in our old town in California. There was a choice of two cafeterias and the kids seemed to choose which cafeteria base don their color. Scary.
But this? This is institutionalized and obviously supported by school administrators. What the ever living fuck?
Hahahah! Lisa, do you really think that it’s only the black kids who are grinding? That the white kids only do line dancing at their prom? Were you never a teenager? Teenagers (and many grownups) like to dance dirty because it’s fun, feels good and reminds them of sex. At least that’s why I did it, and I was a teen MANY years ago.
I don’t think Black teens have the market cornered on grinding. I work in a pretty diverse high school and have seen all kinds of kids doing provocative dances at school functions.
After seeing the picture of the black girls bent over and grinding against a boy, I wouldn’t want my kids going to the black prom regardless of color.
Who was chaperoning these events?
I don’t care what the facts are, this is ridiculous. Whoever is keeping these proms seperate should be ashamed of themselves.
I was also naive to the fact this sort of thing was happening. Come on, America, let’s move forward.
I was under the impression (from reading the article) that the proms are not school sponsored, and are entirely private affairs, so the school didn’t say yes or no to integration. I also read that most of the kids want a single prom, but the white kids’ parents won’t pay for it. Which makes the parents repugnant, but maybe there is hope for the kids. Yes, the kids really should just boycott their proms until their parents see reason, but social activism isn’t necessarily high school kids’ first priority.
Alice, did you read the NY Times story at all? Because that’s the exact opposite of what it said. The black kids DID ask for it to be integrated. The SCHOOL said no.
So why don’t you get your facts straight?
The kids in Georgia were asked to integrate the prom and both groups said no. The white kids like country music and the black kids wanted pop. So THEY, both black and white, decided to keep it sepaerate even though the school wanted to combine them. Get your facts straight. I dont see any reason why they should have to combine if they dont want to.
I guess I’m naive, too, as I thought this sort of thing was out of fashion years ago. And, some “traditions” are best left dead in the water. This is one of them. It really is a time for a change!
“Tradition” is a poor excuse, and these kids are poor excuses of human beings. I’d prefer dealing with an outright bigot to someone who would tolerate and perpetuate bigoted behavior because they don’t want to rock the boat.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! I had no idea this kind of thing still went on.
This is so very STUPID! These children are going to carry theses values with them into the world after graduating. All this is doing is further perpetuating an unrealistic view of the world and how it works. Things are changing so rapidly that holding onto separatist “traditions” like this one is doing nothing but hurting them.