Proms proliferated
A footnote to the recent thread of comments about the continuing challenges in race relations (and whether people just flat-out would prefer not to live together):
The notion of separate-but-equal proms, as portrayed last week in a TV movie, may not be all that rare.
Consider this April 2005 report from the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph:
A lot has changed in Treutlen County since the days of segregated schools.
There's now a black school board chairman. This year's Treutlen High School homecoming queen is black. And last year, the majority-white county elected a black man to serve as probate judge.
But one vestige of segregation remains in the tiny southeast Georgia
community: Black and white students still attend separate, privately sponsored high school proms.
White students held theirs earlier this month in Vidalia. The black prom will be Saturday in Dublin.
In a county where other traces of Jim Crow custom have faded into history, somehow the prom is different.
Or a little closer to home, this April 2004 story from the Asheville Citizen-Times:
Mary Jane, Jamal and Julio all attend the same school. They sit in the same classrooms, eat in the same cafeteria and cheer on the home team in the same gymnasium. Yet during prom season, these students will be grooming themselves and gearing up for separate proms.
Yes, it may be 2004 for most of us here in America but in the backwater town of Lyons, Ga., you couldn't prove that by the students at Toombs County High School. This year the school has organized three separate proms -- white, black and Hispanic -- to accommodate the wishes of the students attending the celebrations.
The Citizen-Times story goes on to note that the black principal of the high school sees no greater significance in the trifecta of proms than as a sign of different tastes in music.
"Latinos like one kind of music. Blacks like to listen to their music. Whites have their music," he said.
I don't imagine this is the dream Martin had in mind.
Comments (9)
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I do disagree, Allen. It's all about freedom. I think Martin was all about freedom. All students now have a RIGHT to go to any prom they want. They have different proms because they have the freedom to do so and it's not being mandated by some idiot or other, but being done by their choice, not some Dot's choice. If any of minority kids want to go to the white prom, they can't be stopped. Jim Crow BARRED people from doing so. Jim Crow forced people to accept somebody else's version of reality.
Posted on February 13, 2006 9:01 AM
Martin would say, So What!!
Martin didn't have to listen to some of the so called music of today either. He would have been all for the freedom to go and listen and dance to what ever flips your trigger. He certainly would not have been trying to continue to stir up stuff nor stifle the freedom that has been chosen by the students, not as the previous writer said, some idiot mandating that all go to one.
One size doesn't fit all. When will you and the N&R learn that Allen?
Sounds like the old shade tree mechanic philosophy, "IF it don't fit, force it".
By the way, there were black and white and Latino's at all the proms in Asheville. Guess to some it was what ever flipped their trigger when it came to the type music being offered or perhaps it was "who flipped their trigger".
The principal here was correct.
Posted on February 13, 2006 12:30 PM
Martin would say FREEDOM OF CHOICE. Quit forcing our children.
Posted on February 13, 2006 1:22 PM
This is so bad. I think that we must brain wash all children to like the same music, wear the same clothes.
I am disgusted by this behaviour....
Something must be done!!
Posted on February 13, 2006 7:02 PM
Mr. Johnson, You nor many of your and later generations KNOW what Mr. King would say in this or any other instance because of the King family's greed in not allowing his teachings to be heard or printed. This has allowed people to put words in his mouth. I heard him speak and read his words. He would be pleased with how far we have come towards his dream. He told us it would take "many, many years before All God's children are free". That is a direct quote sir, a direct quote from Mr. King made in my hearing. You are a newpaper person from a newspaper that according to Mr. Robinson in one of today's posts says requires several checks of sources before making assumptions and printing a story. I suggest before you tell us what Mr. King would think you LEARN just exactly what he thought and said.
And THIS Mr Johnson you may take as an instance where I did not "behave" myself so I guess I am barred from a visit to your home, huh?
Posted on February 13, 2006 9:11 PM
Allen, the thing we like most about your blog is the dialogue we get to have with you. Even though one who is new to your blog would look at this thread and see...what? Hmmm...looks like... no response. Don't despair ye newcomers. What is disquised as silence speaks quite eloquently. Of course, some of us may not be worthy of a response.
Allen why don't we just talk about things here that everybody can agree on. Like "breathing is good" or "If you need to eat something, food is a good place to start". I mean, you can still not talk if you want, especially to the unworthy ones, but at least everybody could agree.
Posted on February 14, 2006 9:52 AM
Orrrrr....maybe Allen is buy working putting out a newspaper and hasn't had a chance to jump in here and respond. It's not ALWAYS about YOU. Good grief.
Posted on February 14, 2006 1:01 PM
Thank you, Allen. Point well taken.
Posted on February 14, 2006 2:22 PM
You cannot promote "diversity" without sacrificing the notion that people should be judged as individuals. That is why there is so much confusion on these issues. People are getting mixed messages- Should we think of people as members of a group (diversity), or judge people as individuals (MLK 1963)?
Posted on February 14, 2006 10:03 PM