How to Respond…

Came across this article yesterday on CNN.com, and I just don’t know what to think. It seems that Turner County High School in Ashburn, GA, had never had a school sponsored prom before this year. In the past parents put up the money for students to hold dances off of school grounds. This is all well and good (I mean, sad that they didn’t have a prom, but not too bad) except for one minor detail; the dances have been segregated. That’s right, the white students had their dance, the black students had theirs, and no one went to the other. Separate but equal…give me a break. Even this year with the “integrated” school sponsored prom the “white prom” still went on.

Nichole Royal, 18, said black students could have gone to the prom, but didn't. "I guess they feel like they're not welcome," she said.

It’s not a race issue, it’s just tradition, another student espoused. No, that’s not a race issue…they just “feel like they’re not welcome.” Hmmmm…I wonder why? What is the one defining feature that separates the “welcome” from the “unwelcome” at this dance? Skin color! Sure, economic status may play a role, but let’s be honest (and slightly stereotypical)…in this town, that’s likely a function of race. How about attitude? Do the black students not feel welcome because of the way the perceive themselves to be treated? I would be willing to bet that this plays a roll…but what lies beneath it? Race.

In any case, the new school prom was semi-successful at starting to close this rift in the school. But I’m still not sure how I feel about this article. I’m horrified and appalled that this “separate but equal” idea has endured in such an institutionalized fashion for so long. At the same time, I want to say kudos to those students who FINALLY pushed for a change. Is it a bright light for the future, or just another sad truth of our present day?