Prom Night in Mississippi
How in the world did I miss this ground breaking news? It's phenomenal, but so hard to believe that I thought it might be an urban legend. If it hadn't been an NPR story, I would never have believed it is true.
Charleston, Mississippi held its first racially mixed Prom since its schools were integrated in 1970. Even though they attend school together, the school's African American and white students have not attended a Prom together. Evidently the town's inhabitants haven't thought anything about the separate Proms for the last 38 years, that is not until actor Morgan Freeman, a native of Charleston, offered to pay for the students to have an integrated Prom. Freeman made his first offer back in 1997, but the town didn't take accept. But in April of this year black and white students alike washed their cars, rented tuxes, had their hair done and walked through the same doors to the same Prom.
The teen years have always posed a problem for black and white parents alike. What to do if your child wants to date a person of another race? This was evidently one of the concerns of the Charleston residents that prevented them from having an interracial Prom for so long. Likewise, I have heard residents in our community, both black and white, acknowledge the same concern throughout the 33 years I have been a teacher here. What advice could I possibly give to anxious parents? Each family has to decide based on their own world-view and moral convictions while their children are teens.
Fear is a motivating factor for both black and white parents. As with any person your child dates, knowing his/her family and what "kind of people they come from" can alleviate those fears. That is the number one rule of dating, so applying it to whomever your child goes out with, regardless of race, is essential if you care about your teen's welfare. You should expect courtesy, integrity, shared interests and values, honesty, and intelligence as minimum characteristics for anyone in whom your teen is interested.
I suspect we did not hear much about the Charleston Prom until June because a movie was filmed that night. Prom Night in Mississippi will tell the story of the night that made history by being 38 years late. That's fine - better late than never for bringing understanding to the world. The school has agreed to sponsor the Prom next year.
Charleston, Mississippi held its first racially mixed Prom since its schools were integrated in 1970. Even though they attend school together, the school's African American and white students have not attended a Prom together. Evidently the town's inhabitants haven't thought anything about the separate Proms for the last 38 years, that is not until actor Morgan Freeman, a native of Charleston, offered to pay for the students to have an integrated Prom. Freeman made his first offer back in 1997, but the town didn't take accept. But in April of this year black and white students alike washed their cars, rented tuxes, had their hair done and walked through the same doors to the same Prom.
The teen years have always posed a problem for black and white parents alike. What to do if your child wants to date a person of another race? This was evidently one of the concerns of the Charleston residents that prevented them from having an interracial Prom for so long. Likewise, I have heard residents in our community, both black and white, acknowledge the same concern throughout the 33 years I have been a teacher here. What advice could I possibly give to anxious parents? Each family has to decide based on their own world-view and moral convictions while their children are teens.
Fear is a motivating factor for both black and white parents. As with any person your child dates, knowing his/her family and what "kind of people they come from" can alleviate those fears. That is the number one rule of dating, so applying it to whomever your child goes out with, regardless of race, is essential if you care about your teen's welfare. You should expect courtesy, integrity, shared interests and values, honesty, and intelligence as minimum characteristics for anyone in whom your teen is interested.
I suspect we did not hear much about the Charleston Prom until June because a movie was filmed that night. Prom Night in Mississippi will tell the story of the night that made history by being 38 years late. That's fine - better late than never for bringing understanding to the world. The school has agreed to sponsor the Prom next year.
Labels: Charleston, Mississippi High School
posted by Melony Carey and Chrissie Wagner at
9:05 PM
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