The students of Wilcox County did the right thing when they put aside barriers and came together for an integrated prom. We all learn things from people of a different race, culture, and creed because they introduce us to new-found perspectives and solutions. A valuable lesson should be learned from the Wilcox students who refused to comply with the longstanding tradition of separate white and black proms by implementing change with the creation of a unified, integrated prom.
Encouraging the youth to understand the importance of critical thinking and decision making should be encouraged and applauded, not opposed and frowned upon. Wasn’t integration in the schools settled with Brown vs. Board of Education in the ‘50s? Rather than remaining neutral, more students like those from Wilcox County are needed to think critically about topics that require courage to institute the change they feel adamantly about. I applaud the Wilcox students for the collaborative and firm critical thinking skills they displayed when they combined the proms.
My work at Communities In Schools (CIS) helps me understand why many students are disenchanted with school and find themselves failing even though they are highly intelligent. In general, they are disengaged from the learning system because they’re bored. Allowing students to plan a historic event like the first integrated prom in Wilcox County provides an opportunity for students to discover new leadership skills, confront community-wide issues, and take ownership and responsibility for the results.
Given the dismal graduation rates in many school districts throughout Georgia, shouldn’t we strive to promote this type of leadership and responsibility? I believe it would help foster a new sense of enthusiasm and increase graduation rates.
We at CIS understand the importance of giving students more responsibility and increasing expectations instead of lowering them. We’ve seen countless students turn around from exhibiting bad behavior and low grades to becoming a role model due to mentors helping them develop critical thinking skills and assume responsibility for self-improvement.
The future will remain bright as long as we continue to nurture and assist students like the ones in Wilcox County dedicated to resolving problems that adults should have corrected long ago.
Kyle Walcott is an intern in the CIS of Georgia Marketing & Communications Department. He will graduate from Georgia State University this spring with a BBA in Marketing.