Before you began reading this you have probably checked the date on this article at least twice. Yes, it is April of 2014 and yes, in the year 2014 a school in the U.S. recently held its first school-sanctioned integrated prom. Shocking, isn’t it?
Students at Wilcox County High School finally got a chance to step out of the Jim Crow Era and hold its first prom for all students. Until recently, parents and guardians organized the “color coordinated” events each year since the school was first integrated in the 1970s.
The recent change for the event came from the efforts of four best friends (2 black girls and 2 white girls). Last year they led the 400-student school in rural Rochelle, Georgia, to publicly protesting the school’s hoary segregated proms tradition. The protest gained national exposure and things began looking up for the small town school.
A Facebook page that was created to support the protest reached nearly 30,000 likes and the donations started to pour in to support the prom. As a result, the four girls were able to put together their own integrated prom, held a week after the traditional whites-only event. About half of the school’s students attended the prom, which was held in nearby Cordele, Georgia.
This year, the Wilcox County High School integrated prom became an official school event, and for once, the students could celebrate this feat together.
However, before we end this story with a “happily ever after”. Mareshia Rucker, one of the original organizers, had this to say, “I’m absolutely sure that there are teachers that are still in the system right now that are at my school and they still don’t want an integrated prom.”
Still surprised? Let us know what you think and feel free to comment below.
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