(In?) voluntary segregation

I would never have believed this if I hadn't read it with my own two eyes:

Students attend school's first integrated prom
April 23, 2007

Story Highlights
• Students of Turner County High School voted to have school-sponsored prom• In the past, parents have organized private, segregated dances
• Principal Chad Stone says the official prom will become a yearly event
• Senior Class President James Hall led the movement for the integrated prom

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/23/turner.prom/index.html

It is completely mind-boggling that in this day and age this is the first time that black and white students at a high school in America were holding a joint prom. But then, when you realize that the school is in a small rural southern town, it's not that surprising at all. Perhaps that's because I've lived in the south for almost three years now. In the south, it's not about whether racism exists or not. Differences based on color are simply ingrained in the psyche. Much the same way we expect to see on-coming traffic on the right hand side of the road in Jamaica but on the left in America, it's the same way certain things are expected and taken for granted when it comes to race relations in the south.

So much so that I can't even think up any examples because I'm so used to what I see and experience. The only thing I can say is that in many respects, my husband and I (and many other West Indian immigrants) break the mold. If we call ahead to store whether to order take out or request a part, I've seen literal shock on the faces of cashiers and store clerks alike when we walk into their establishment.

Hmm, I think I should take back my earlier comment. It's not mind-boggling. It's saddening but at the same time uplifting to see that yes, this kind of attitude still exists, but that the next generation is attempting to build a bridge.

Funny, I used to be the next generation... I guess it really is downhill after you hit 21, huh? :)