More Nice Time! These Children Don't Want To Go To Separate (But Equal?) Proms

Well, if anybody can take a story about a segregated prom in the year of our lord two thousand thirteen, and turn it into a Nice Time story, it is the full-hearts folk at Yr Wonket. (We have finished PMSing, it would seem.) So, hi Rochelle, Georgia! How are you segregating your high school students today (sad time) and how are your students fighting back, together, for equality (nice time!)?

"We are all friends," said Stephanie. "That's just kind of not right that we can't go to prom together."

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.

Wait, that is not Nice Time! Let us investigate further.

That was the case just last year asa 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.

"I felt like there had to be a change," said Quanesha. "For me to be a black person and the king to be a white person, I felt like why can't we come together."

Quanesha wasn't invited to the white homecoming. In fact, the pair took separate pictures for the school yearbook.

THAT IS STILL NOT NICE TIME.

So the girls are taking matters into their own hands.

"If we don't change it nobody else will," said Keela.

They're part of a group of students organizing a prom for everyone to attend, called the "Integrated Prom"

Ah, there it is. Breathe it. Feel it. The children, they are the future.

"I put up posters for the "Integrated Prom" and we've had people ripping them down at the school," said Keela.

GODDAMNIT GEORGIA. WE ARE TRYING TO HAVE NICE TIME UP IN HERE.

"We need to stick with the tradition," Quanesha said mockingly. "This is a traditional thing we don't need to change and stuff like that, but why? No one can answer my question.

"Exactly," responded Keela. "They think nothing's broken so don't fix it."

There will still be two proms this year. Neither proms are financed by or allowed to take place at Wilcox County High School. The students said that when they pushed for one prom, the school offered a resolution to permit an integrated prom that would allow all students to attend but not stop segregated proms.

You are killing us Georgia. Kiiiilllling us.

But here's the girls' Facebook page for Integrated Prom. And hopefully nobody will show up in this. 

Nice Time!

[ WSAV ]