Georgia high school holds its first ever school-sanctioned integrated prom

  • Wilcox County High in made headlines last year when students organized the first privately held prom for both black and white students
  • The school had always refused to officially sponsor a prom and separate private events were held for students of each race until 2013
  • The school bowed to pressure to sponsor an official integrated prom this year, which was held Saturday

By Joshua Gardner

PUBLISHED: 11:46 EST, 31 March 2014 | UPDATED: 12:10 EST, 31 March 2014

A Georgia high school has held it's first ever official racially integrated prom, sixty years after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Wilcox High is not segregated, but the private proms that were held because the school district refused to officially sponsor such an event were until 2013.

After students made national headlines last year with the first private prom, the school ultimately bowed to pressure to officially sanction an integrated event, which was held Saturday.

WILCOX CO., Ga. (CNN) ? One high school in Georgia is holding its first school-sanctioned integrated prom Saturday night. Until now, Wilcox County High School students held two proms one for white students and another for black students. Four girls, who are best friends, organized their own integrated prom last year. This year, the school district has sanctioned it. One of those original organizers, Mareshia Rucker said she believes not everyone is on board with the decision.but a second big wave took him.
WILCOX CO., Ga. (CNN) ? One high school in Georgia is holding its first school-sanctioned integrated prom Saturday night. Until now, Wilcox County High School students held two proms one for white students and another for black students. Four girls, who are best friends, organized their own integrated prom last year. This year, the school district has sanctioned it. One of those original organizers, Mareshia Rucker said she believes not everyone is on board with the decision.but a second big wave took him.

First interracial prom: Wilcox County High School in Georgia held its first officially sanctioned integrated prom ever on Saturday. Here, groups of students prepare to attend the event, which was held at an agricultural center

Until now the high school in Rochelle, Georgia has held two proms each year.

The same was true last year, when four female best friends--two white and two black--pitched in to organize and throw an integrated prom.

 

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Not everyone in Wilcox County was thrilled with the idea and an all-white prom was held privately in addition to the headline-grabbing integrated event.

One organizer of last year's prom believes not everyone will be happy with Wilcox County's decision.

Era comes to an end: Wilcox County was one of the last schools in America without an integrated prom. The school avoided holding such an event by not holding any prom, leaving students and their parents to hold separate white and black private proms for years

Era comes to an end: Wilcox County was one of the last schools in America without an integrated prom. The school avoided holding such an event by not holding any prom, leaving students and their parents to hold separate white and black private proms for years

'I’m absolutely sure that there are teachers that are still in the system right now that are at my school and they still don’t want an integrated prom,' Rucker said.

'I didn't agree with the fact that they separated blacks and whites. so I just put my foot down and said, "No, I'm not going to and all-white prom and I'm not going to go with somebody to an all-black prom, it's just not going to happen,"' one student, a white girl with a black prom date, told WMAZ-TV last year.

For decades, the school district has avoided throwing an officially-sanctioned prom so that the parents could organize separate, segregated dances for the students.

Hopes come true: 'Hopefully when everything is said and done, people in our county will really realize, that there is no sense in the way things are right now,' said Mareshia Rucker (left) at last year's private integrated prom

Hopes come true: 'Hopefully when everything is said and done, people in our county will really realize, that there is no sense in the way things are right now,' said Mareshia Rucker (left) at last year's private integrated prom

'I didn't agree with the fact that they separated blacks and whites. so I just put my foot down and said, "No, I'm not going to and all-white prom and I'm not going to go with somebody to an all-black prom, it's just not going to happen,"' one student, a white girl with a black prom date, told WMAZ-TV last year

'I didn't agree with the fact that they separated blacks and whites. so I just put my foot down and said, "No, I'm not going to and all-white prom and I'm not going to go with somebody to an all-black prom, it's just not going to happen,"' one student, a white girl with a black prom date, told WMAZ-TV last year

Donations poured in from across the country and DJs and motivational speakers from Atlanta and other major volunteered their time for the prom at the south Georgia high school, which only has about 400 students.

But last year's groundbreaking event gave way to far fewer headlines this time around.

When Rucker became the poster child for the 2013, she told of her hopes for an end to the unofficial segregation.

'Hopefully when everything is said and done, people in our county will really realize, that there is no sense in the way things are right now,' she told ABC News.

After 60 long years on the fringe of modern life, her county has finally realized just that.


Comments (10)

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Unbelievable that this has gone on as long as it has. How could it even be legal??

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Is this real? I thought it was 2014. How sad to read about this. I mean I know there is racism but to be so out in the open about it is truly mind boggling.

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The land the time forgot.

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What???? Unreal!!!

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How does this still go on in this day and age? Mind. Just. Blown.

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Call me naive, but I did not realise this happened. I'm quite shocked!

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I can't believe I'm reading this, it's taken until 2014 to have an integrated prom? I thought the states were supposed to be one of the most advanced enlightened countries on the planet.

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god, talk about being behind the times, almost 100 years infact

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I am amazed it has taken so long! How in the 21st century was this racist segregation ever allowed????

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Good for them!

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