A segregated prom refers to the practice of United Stateshigh schools, generally located in the Deep South, of holding racially segregated proms for white and black students. The practice spread after these schools were integrated, and persists in a few rural places to the present day. The separate proms have been the subject of frequent press coverage, and several films.
History
Prior to the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Brown v. Board of Education, most schools in the southern United States were racially segregated. The process of integration of schools was slow, and many schools did not become integrated until the late 1960s and early 1970s. In order to avoid having to hold an integrated prom, many high schools stopped sponsoring any prom, and private segregated proms were organized as a replacement. Sometimes a concern over interracial dating was cited as the reason for not holding a single prom. Other schools cited liability concerns as the reason for not sponsoring a prom. In addition to segregated proms, some schools have also elected black and whitehomecoming kings and queens, class officers, and even awarded separate black and white superlatives such as "Most Likely To Succeed." School sponsored separate events, including separate homecoming queens or superlatives, have been deemed to violate federal law by the United States Department of Justice. In 1990, The New York Times reported that 10 counties in Georgia were still holding segregated proms. Though the practice has been reported to be on the decline, occasional press reports seem to show it persists in some rural locations. Since 1987, media sources have reported on segregated proms being held in the U.S. states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. When two separate proms are held for a school, generally the "black prom" is open to attendance by all students. Only the "white prom" is racially exclusive. School alumni at schools which held segregated proms sometimes hold segregated class reunions as well.
Outside the Deep South
Even prior to integration in the South, there have been instances of segregated proms being held in integrated schools in the northern United States. In the late 1920s, for example, separate proms for blacks and whites are recorded as occurring at Froebel High School in Gary, Indiana.
Notable cases
Charleston, Mississippi: In 1997, actor Morgan Freeman offered to fund a racially integrated prom in Charleston, Mississippi, where he lives. The offer was turned down. In 2007, he made the offer again and it was accepted, and the school held its first integrated prom in 2008, profiled in the documentary Prom Night in Mississippi.
Taylor County, Georgia: In 2002, Taylor County, Georgia made international news for holding its first integrated prom, and again when a group of white students proceeded to hold a separate prom the following year. The 2006 filmFor One Night is based on these events.
Toombs County, Georgia: In 2004, it was reported that Hispanic students at Toombs County High School had planned their own prom, and that separate white, black, and Hispanic proms would be held. The school, 56% white, 31% black, and 12% Hispanic, had been holding separate white and black proms since 1971.
Wilcox County, Georgia: In 2013, the New York Times published an article about Wilcox County High School's first integrated prom, which took place that year, and was organized by students.
