Prom in Black and White

During this time of the year, many high school students across the nation are preparing for Prom. For many, this night will be a memorable time to share with friends. But, what if you couldn't spend prom together with all of your friends? I read an article that talked about a rural county in Georgia where a high school has two separate proms: one for White students and the other for African-American students. To give you an idea of how serious this separation is, one student remarked that,"if you're an African-American and you show up to the white prom, you'll probably get asked to leave". In this day in age, it is almost impossible to imagine any place, especially a school, continuing to segregate students. The article explained that since the prom is private and is not a school event, it is organized by the parents and students and held off campus. Therefore, two separate proms are allowed to be held without any lawsuits toward the school. What I found interesting is that many of the students are now in favor of holding one prom that would be integrated but the only thing holding them back are their parents. The parents are more interested in maintaining the tradition than moving into the 21st century. But, this year they will be holding their first integrated prom.

I could not wrap my mind around the idea that there was segregation still apparent in the United States to this extent. I find the conflict between the tradition and modernity very interesting in this case. The parents want things to be the way that they used to be while their kids would rather move foreword. This story became a national focus because the students created a Facebook page so that they could raise money and awareness for an integrated prom. This shows the dedication that these kids had to create change, and they were successful.