The fact that Wilcox County High School was integrated just 30 years ago is a clear indicator that the area is still behind. In an effort to join modern society, four students are fighting to organize the school's first ever integrated prom.
In an interview with 41NBC, Keela Bloodworth said: "It's embarrassing to know that I'm from the county that still does this." Bloodworth (who is white) and three friends (two of whom are black) are determined to shake up tradition, but they face obstacles. Bloodworth told CBS Atlanta that after she put up posters for an integrated prom, people were "ripping them down" almost immediately.
In addition, the racially divided proms are financed by students and parents, so Bloodworth and her friends have been challenged with raising money for the event on their own. Wilcox County High School refuses to share their position on the matter, but decided that there will be just one homecoming king and queen.
Gawker accurately described the move as an "empty gesture," adding that the "white king and black queen were not allowed to take joint photographs for the yearbook, and neither is allowed to attend the other's prom." That imagery alone is beyond troubling.
Last year, police were called when a biracial student attempted to attend the "white prom." Is it safe to assume that the school holds separate reunions as well?
[via Gawker]
