Georgia’s Rep Gov. Refuses to Endorse Integrated Prom

[Flagg]

Rawstory

Georgia’s Republican governor won’t endorse town’s first racially integrated prom

By David Ferguson
Friday, April 12, 2013 14:20 EDT

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) has refused through a spokesperson to endorse one town’s first-ever integrated high school prom, saying that he would rather not take sides on the issue. According to Atlanta’s WMAZ Channel 13, politicians from both parties have stated their support for black and white students from Wilcox, Georgia, but Deal declined to join them.

Raw Story spoke to activist Bryan Long of the progressive group Better Georgia, whose group has asked Georgia elected officials “to publicly support the students of Wilcox County who are fighting to end a ‘separate-but-equal’ high school prom.”

“We thought it would be nice if our elected officials would support these students,” said Long. “They’re taking a great stand in their community. We thought that officials all across the state should send a message to the nation that we’ve moved beyond the racial divisions of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.”

He added, “We were surprised to read that the governor’s spokesperson said that he wouldn’t be ‘taking sides’ on this issue. I didn’t know that there were sides to take.”

Deal spokesperson Brian Robinson told WMAZ on Thursday that Deal is refusing to endorse the integrated prom because of Better Georgia’s bipartisan initiative.

“This is a leftist front group for the state Democratic party and we’re not going to lend a hand to their silly publicity stunt,” wrote Robinson.

“The kids want to have an integrated prom,” said Better Georgia’s Long. “It’s the 21st Century, Gov. Deal. Get with it.”

“The fact that we even have segregated proms in Georgia in 2013 is shocking all buy itself,” he said, “but to have a governor say that he doesn’t want to support the students who are trying to change that horrible tradition? That’s just cowardly.”

“We really didn’t think this was going to be a divisive issue,” he concluded. “Plenty of Republicans have already come out to support the kids. So, for the governor, who’s supposedly an opinion leader in the state to just say, ‘I’ll sit this one out,’ well…I didn’t think that was possible.”

Wilcox High School was integrated decades ago, but parents have put up their own money for annual private parties rather than have an integrated prom. Students created a Facebook page dedicated to hosting an integrated dance and said they were “embarrassed” that no one had done it before.

Any time some mouthbreather tells you the Republicans aren't a haven for racists, point to this.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Wait... racial integration... in the 10s? Wasn't that supposed to have happened about 50 years ago, or at least 20-30? What the fuck does this story have to do with the new millenium?

More on-topic, I've checked Wilcox County in Wikipedia's Grand Hall of Truth by Consensus. It has a population of 8.000 or so, which means it's rural as hell and fulla fuckin' rednecks. So I wouldn't be exactly surprised if the shitbags suddenly rolled back on integrated proms, but never having had one? Gee, Mr. Deal, that's quite the demographic you're staking out there.

[Akhlut]

Wait... racial integration... in the 10s? Wasn't that supposed to have happened about 50 years ago, or at least 20-30? What the fuck does this story have to do with the new millenium?

More on-topic, I've checked Wilcox County in Wikipedia's Grand Hall of Truth by Consensus. It has a population of 8.000 or so, which means it's rural as hell and fulla fuckin' rednecks. So I wouldn't be exactly surprised if the shitbags suddenly rolled back on integrated proms, but never having had one? Gee, Mr. Deal, that's quite the demographic you're staking out there.

In a lot of the South, schools that were forcibly integrated simply refused to have an official prom anymore and private organizations run by parents set up their own proms, which could not be forcibly integrated.

[Alyrium Denryle]

This, combined with Confederate History Month, make me want to organize a symbolic reenactment of a certain march from Atlanta to Savannah...

Get a bunch of people in Union uniforms, march through Georgia setting off fireworks at intervals. Descending upon local eateries...paying this time around, of course.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Get a bunch of people in Union uniforms, march through Georgia setting off fireworks at intervals. Descending upon local eateries...paying this time around, of course.

Both gay and Union? In places that are still sore about the fucking Civil Rights Act? Wouldn't advise it, but it's giant balls.

[Tanasinn]

This, combined with Confederate History Month, make me want to organize a symbolic reenactment of a certain march from Atlanta to Savannah...

Get a bunch of people in Union uniforms, march through Georgia setting off fireworks at intervals. Descending upon local eateries...paying this time around, of course.

You'd certainly get attention, if you could organize a large enough march. Police and press both, I'm sure.

[Edi]

Get a bunch of people in Union uniforms, march through Georgia setting off fireworks at intervals. Descending upon local eateries...paying this time around, of course.

Both gay and Union? In places that are still sore about the fucking Civil Rights Act? Wouldn't advise it, but it's giant balls.

If they're still butthurt about the Civil Rights Act, make it black, gay and Union, then we're talking...

[Dr. Trainwreck]

If they're still butthurt about the Civil Rights Act, make it black, gay and Union, then we're talking...

Well... Alyrium, got any black friends?

Though I'll guess the locals, apart from your typical idiots, would quite like such a thing for the revenue and publicity. And about the idiots, staying in a crowd will ensure safety.

[DieselJester]

If they're this uptight about a racially integrated prom, I shudder to think about what's going to happen when their first homosexual couple comes out of the closet down there.

[General Mung Beans]

This, combined with Confederate History Month, make me want to organize a symbolic reenactment of a certain march from Atlanta to Savannah...

Get a bunch of people in Union uniforms, march through Georgia setting off fireworks at intervals. Descending upon local eateries...paying this time around, of course.

[Ziggy Stardust]

This, combined with Confederate History Month, make me want to organize a symbolic reenactment of a certain march from Atlanta to Savannah...

Get a bunch of people in Union uniforms, march through Georgia setting off fireworks at intervals. Descending upon local eateries...paying this time around, of course.

Ironically enough, given the current political attitudes of many extreme right wingers, this time around if the federal government goes into Georgia and BUILDS railways instead of tearing them up it will piss them off just as much, even given the horrible traffic conditions of Atlanta, because of how anathema the idea of government spending on infrastructure is to them.