Toombs County High School holds segregated proms again

[Rationality]

http://www.citizenonline.net/citizen/archive/article194AC34F73AC42CFB936FD31DBCEFB63.asp

--snip--
LYONS — A high school in south Georgia held three different proms — one each for whites, blacks and Hispanics.
The proms for seniors and juniors were private parties, but some students attended more than one of the events, said Ralph Hardy, principal for Toombs County High School.
Students in Toombs County, about 160 miles southeast of Atlanta, have had segregated black and white proms since schools were integrated in 1971, said school board member Needum Rogers.
This year, a group of Hispanic students added their own prom, which was held Saturday — the day after the white students’ event. Three weeks before that, black students held their prom.
Yuri Flores said she started pushing for a Hispanic prom after she tried to buy tickets for the white prom. A girl with the prom committee wanted to know if her date was white, black or Hispanic.
--snip--

[Maddy McCall]

1. In my history class, we were discussing segregation...

Out of my 65 students, five said that their high schools still hold segregated proms.

The proms are held at privately-owned places, not in the public school gyms, to get around the law.

Additionally, the classes alternate black and white in electing prom king and queen--one year a black couple, one year a white couple. Or they elect a black couple and a white couple, but NEVER a black/white couple.

Still stuck in the early twentieth century, I am afraid.

In the class discussion of this, however, ALL of the kids in my class said that the decision was made by the adults in the school system and that they think it's stupid. None of them liked the segregated prom idea. NONE.

Maybe one day they will challenge it.

[Rationality]

3. They say that interracial dating was taboo back in the day

A black person in the south could get in trouble for all kinds of interaction with their white counterparts, but if a black man was ever caught doing so much as flirting with white women, that guy would be lynched and beaten. There was an infamous case back then... I forgot the particulars but a black kid flirted with white girls and the next evening a few whites dragged him out of his home and killed him.... I'd be more specific but again I forgot most of this.

What we're seeing here is pretty much the same barrier.

[Maddy McCall]

4. That's the Emmett Till case, which Mississippi officials just reopened.

The funny thing is, walk across ANY southern college campus and look at the interracial couples strolling hand-in-hand.

[jean]

5. Leave it to the adults to get things all screwed around - why didn't they

have a fourth prom, for the hybrid couples? Black/white, Hispanic/white and Black/Hispanic? Plus, don't forget the GLBT's and all possible iterations.

[AspenRose]

7. There may be an unofficial "fourth prom"

for the students who march to the beat of their own drummer, don't care who they party with, and don't want ANYTHING to do with the aforementioned "preferred" three proms.

If I were in high school, that's where I'd be.

Of course, I think the idea of segregated proms is to DISCOURAGE "hybrid" couples in the first place.

And it just goes to show how ignorant these people are. Hispanics can be of ANY race. What do you do if you're black and hispanic?

[still_one]

6. Boy, I love these wonder "Christians from the right"

[billbuckhead]

2. Georgia has a fast growing Hispanic population

Sometimes, I think they are a re-emergence of the Native Americans who were exterminated in much of the South. Other times I think they reflect the wisdom of the Spanish culture. If you're ever in Manasota county Florida, you can see where DeSoto landed and they have a map that shows he goes straight to Cartersville, Ga, the home base of the Cherokees.

[AspenRose]

8. Kick

:kick:

[smirkymonkey]

9. When are they going to have the prom

for Racist Assholes? There are just too many of them to ignore.

[Deja Q]

10. Why not have

A white prom
A black prom
A Hispanic prom
A Asian prom

And one prom that allows EVERYBODY to be included?

That way the school can get more money from the kiddies who go.

Or just have one: The all-inclusive one.

Why the segregation? That is so 1866... Sadly, it's also so 1955. x( This regression is horrible and nonsensical.

[DivinBreuvage]

11. I'm just itching to make some kind of Civil War reference to this

but daren't, lest I be accused of "Southern Bashing".