Georgians Plan Whites-Only Prom Party

Associated Press ^ | 05-01-03

[Brian S]

ALBANY, Ga. May 1 — A year after holding their first integrated prom, some students at Taylor County High School have decided to again hold a separate, private party for whites only.

While many whites say they still plan to attend next week's integrated prom, the decision to hold the whites-only prom this Friday saddened senior Gerica McCrary, who helped organize last year's dance.

"I cried," said McCrary, who is black. "The black juniors said, 'Our prom is open to everyone. If you want to come, come.'"

Juniors are in charge of planning the prom each year and last year they decided to have just one dance the first integrated prom in 31 years in the rural Georgia county 150 miles south of Atlanta.

Until then, parents and students organized separate proms for whites and blacks after school officials stopped sponsoring dances, in part because they wanted to avoid problems arising from interracial dating.

This year, a small number of white juniors decided they wanted a separate prom.

"They influenced the others," said McCrary, who plans to major in biology at Columbus State University. "They didn't vote on anything. They said, 'This is what we're going to do.'"

The school has 439 students, 232 of them black. McCrary and a white friend passed out fliers informing students of all races that they would be welcome at the May 9 prom at nearby Fort Valley State University.

The private prom is Friday night 50 miles away in Columbus.

Erin Posey, a white senior, said the entire junior class joined together in hosting last year's prom, but this year's junior class wasn't as unified.

"I think a lot of seniors were disappointed," she said. "Now we have to choose between two groups of friends."

Posey plans to attend both proms.

"I had some white friends who were not going to the other (inclusive) prom," she said. "I wanted to have time with everybody. I'll have a lot of (black) friends there, too. A lot more of the seniors are going to be at the mixed one."

After school integration, separate proms were common in the rural South, but Taylor County was among the last to cling to the practice.

Glenda Latimore, a 1972 graduate, was in the first class to have separate black and white proms. Now her 16-year-old son, Gerard, is preparing for prom night.

As the black junior class president, her son helped organize the open-to-all prom. The class also has a white president.

"I would have liked to see it together this year," said Latimore, an outfielder on the school's baseball team. "My class would have, too. It just didn't happen this year."

Glenda Latimore said relatives in Philadelphia and New Jersey laugh when they read about Taylor County's prom. She said residents here are "nice and friendly," but they still have a problem with proms.

"It seems like it's something secret," she said. "The white people are afraid to speak up against the separation.

"But I went to a black prom and I had fun," she said. "It didn't kill me, so I tell my son, 'Just go to the prom and have fun. Don't come out hating anyone.'"

[shatcher]

This town has serious racial tensions from both sides. The local government is run by a bunch of money-hungry people that prevent the town from moving forward.

[mabelkitty]

No, public school that sanctions integration. Did you not read the "white class president" and "black class president"?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Whenever I heard this point raised, I have to shake my head and wonder: is this person being disingenuous, or is it just extreme ignorance of history, media and the social structure of our country...

Yeah, I know. The guys who rail about Miss Black America are a hoot as well, considering that the Miss America pageant was lily white forever and a day, and Miss Black America was created as an answer to that.

[Greybird]

They should have planned a straights-only prom party. Ninety percent of all FReepers would have been cheering them with bigoted approval until they were hoarse.

[Onelifetogive]

What I'm saying is that "WE" dont really know their motives now do we. We are only guessing.

You seem to be implying that the "media" might spin the situation to make whites look racist. Yeah, right!

[mabelkitty]

Um, since ever?

If you can't handle people being called "backwards", then you probably are in the wrong forum.

[MineralMan]

"This town has serious racial tensions from both sides. The local government is run by a bunch of money-hungry people that prevent the town from moving forward."

OK. I see. I guess there are towns like that all over the place. We have 'em in California, too, where hispanics and gringos are always at each others' throats. Then we have other towns where there's no problem at all between those two groups. Odd.

[GovernmentShrinker]

These are private parties; the school doesn't sponsor any prom. But I'm having more than a little trouble figuring out how THIS passes legal muster at a public school:

As the black junior class president, her son helped organize the open-to-all prom. The class also has a white president.

[js1138]

It's called freedom of association.

It's also pig ignorant.

[Khepera]

Dont you believe in freedom?

[Belial]

Yeah, I know. The guys who rail about Miss Black America are a hoot as well, considering that the Miss America pageant was lily white forever and a day, and Miss Black America was created as an answer to that.

Simply, yes. The history of American maganizes, TV and movies is overwhelmingly white. The history of white-only organizations in America is irretrievably tied to segregation.

To equate minority-themed entertainment and a hypothetical white-only version, you must first extinguish your brain.

[Khepera]

They might ya know LOL.

[MineralMan]

I have a solution for this dilemma. Talk Whitney Houston into showing up at the non-racist prom and doing a few numbers. I'll bet the racist party would be empty. There ya go.

[demosthenes the elder]

oh, I can handle it, even agree wholeheartedly with its usage in this discussion, but it is disingenuous to claim that it is not an insult.
I do not like lies.
Deserved insults are fine.

[k2blader]

What a trollishly concocted hypothetical.

[sharktrager]

There is a difference between Freedom of Association and actual association. The right is great, but their choice seems poor.

I have Freedom of Speech. It's still stupid for me to go walking through Wal Marts yelling insults at everyone I see wearing purple shirts because I don't like the color purple.

[amused]

I have a solution for this dilemma. Talk Whitney Houston into showing up at the non-racist prom and doing a few numbers. I'll bet the racist party would be empty. There ya go.

Have you seen Whitney lately? I don't know if I would want to see her now that's she become Springer guest material. The Sawyer interview was a big enough trainwreck for me.

[Guillermo]

I agree.

[mabelkitty]

See, now I would say "backwards" was a put-down rather than an insult.

If I called someone the spawn of a forbidden brother/sister love tryst, then that would be an insult.

One man's trash is another man's treasure, I suppose.

[demosthenes the elder]

Interesting analogy, but flawed.
Yelling insults is not merely free speech, it is in many jurisdictions a form of assault and illegal.

Here's a mod of your analogy: A mall in Maine banned the wearing of anti-war/anti-Bush apparel on their property. Two people deliberately defied that rule. They were told to remove the shirts or remove themselves from the property. They refused to do either. They were arrested for tresspass.
Was that wrong?