Students at a Wilcox County, Ga., high school had their first integrated prom in history, after years of parent-sponsored dances that allowed for legally separate dances for blacks and whites.
The prom, held this past Saturday, was for Wilcox County High School students and put an end to the community’s segregated formals, The Daily Mail reported. The segregated proms were officially sponsored by parents, in order that the school couldn’t be sued.
Two black and two white friends banded together this year, though, and started a Facebook campaign, “Integrated Prom,” to fuel support for a single dance. More than 26,000 followed the page, The Daily Mail reported. And donations to pay for the event poured in from across the nation.
“It turned out really well,” said one prom organizer, in The Daily Mail. “I didn’t even know this many people were coming, but I guess there [were] a lot of tickets being sold.”
The Daily Mail reported that most of the attendees separated themselves on the dance floor by race, anyway.
The school board, meanwhile, said it plans to adopt a school-sponsored prom ordinance for 2014 — integrated, as required by law.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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