By Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN
updated 2:37 PM EDT, Fri April 4, 2014
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Photos: Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
Making moves against unity
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- Aftermost week, for the aboriginal time in decades, acceptance from Wilcox County, Georgia, abounding a school-sponsored brawl that was accessible to all acceptance rather than a private, racially absolute prom.
For decades, Wilcox County Aerial Academy hadn't hosted a brawl for its 400 students. Instead, parents and their accouchement organized private, off-site, racially absolute parties accustomed to best as "white prom" and "black prom." Afterwards acceptance planned their own chip ball aftermost year, academy leaders appear they would sponsor the school's aboriginal brawl -- and it would be accessible to everyone.
"Everything went off afterwards a hitch," Wilcox County schools Superintendent Steve Smith said this anniversary -- aloof as he expected.
The aftermost official academy proms were captivated in Wilcox County decades ago, afore schools were racially integrated, association associates said. Wilcox County and abounding added schools in the Deep South canceled proms and accession dances in the aboriginal years of integration, and in some places, private, absolute proms became the bounded tradition. (The academy has continued hosted Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps balls, which were racially chip and accessible to all JROTC members.)
READ: Absolute brawl attitude yields to unity
In 2013, a accumulation of Wilcox County acceptance organized an chip brawl accessible to white, black, Latino and Asian students. Organizers, both atramentous and white, faced backfire from some association associates who awful the change -- or the drove of media absorption it brought. The accident fabricated Wilcox County the base of late-night TV jokes, but additionally drew bags of supporters on amusing media, additional donated cash, dresses and DJ services.
Wilcox County is not the alone abode with a history of racially absolute proms. In the 2009 documentary "Prom Night in Mississippi," administrator Paul Saltzman followed the affairs for the aboriginal chip brawl in Charleston, Mississippi. Actor Morgan Freeman, a built-in of the area, offered in 1997 to awning the amount if the academy lath would authority an chip prom, but the action wasn't accustomed till 2008.
READ: Celebrating aerial academy prom, 50 years later
Last year, abounding association associates said they'd abutment an chip prom, or a school-sponsored brawl -- it's aloof that old traditions are boxy to change.
Last year, it took a accumulation of students, absorption on amusing media and the abutment of the NAACP, parents and association associates to accomplish it happen.
"If we're all calm and we adulation anniversary added the way we say we do, again there are no issues," Wilcox County alum Mareshia Rucker said aftermost year afterwards allowance to adapt the student-led chip prom. "This is article that should accept happened a continued time ago."
