Students Fight to Integrate Prom

Almost 50 years after the Civil Rights Act, Wilcox County High School in Georgia still has two separate proms, one for white students only and one for any student to attend. A group of high school girls, lifelong friends both black and white, are lobbying to end the tradition.

Stephanie and Keela are white and Mareshia and Quanesha are black. They're seniors at Wilcox County High School, a school that has never held an integrated prom during its existence.

"There's a white prom and there's an integrated prom," said Keela.

The rule is strictly enforced, any race other than Caucasian wouldn't dare to attend the white prom.

"They would probably have the police come out there and escort them off the premises," said Keela.

That was the case just last year as a biracial student was turned away by police. It's been that way for as long as anyone can remember and it doesn't stop at prom. Homecoming is also segregated. Normally, there would be a court for each race, but for the first time the school decided to elect only one homecoming court, Quanesha won. But there were still two separate dances.

The key to the outdated "tradition" is that the school does not sponsor either prom, does not finance the dances, and they are not held at the school. The school is open to the idea of one prom, but will not stop the segregated proms. Link  -via Salon