Racial segregation is legal in the U.S?

[Shiner]

Seriously? Is racism so deep-seated in the states, that no-one dares pass legislation to outlaw this ignorant and repulsive social modelling?

Don't you people have a NOT-WHITE guy running the joint?

A group of high school students in Wilcox County High School, GA., are taking a stand against their school's practice of holding racially-segregated proms by organizing the first-ever integrated prom in the school's history.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/segregated-prom-wilcox-county-ga-high-school_n_3013733.html

Anybody can attend the "other" prom. (The integrated one)
And then there's the "white only" prom......

I'm no expert on U.S law, but I've spent a couple of hours reading the anti-discrimination laws for the USA, and for Georgia. I read a lot of it more than once, ok?
It is NOT illegal to racially discriminate in a social situation.

Rochelle City Councilman Wayne McGuinty told Fox 24 that the Wilcox County High School's segregated prom is not an accurate representation of his community.

"I think it's more of the personal opinions of those involved," said McGuinty. "I don't think there is an effort made to keep black kids out of the white prom and to keep white kids out of the black prom."

So, it's not the schools fault. It's not the town or councils fault. Who's fault is it? The students, of course... Liberty? Yeah, right.. I mean, white.

Please, somebody show me where I'm wrong.

 

[RemieV]

Proms are put together by prom committees - students and parents.

 

[StankApe]

It may be stupid, but there are black beaches in some places too. These are not designated areas, and there are no consequences of being white and hanging out there (or vice versa) but are social constructs based on years past. The black people went there when it WAS segregated, so they took their kids there, then integration happened, but they kept going to that beach anyway, because,well... it was a nice beach and they were familiar with the area.

 

[Shiner]

Another article on the story....http://jezebel.com/5993590/georgia-...dium=recirculation&utm_campaign=recirculation

 

[Shiner]

Proms are put together by prom committees - students and parents.

Yes. And?

What's happening here is illegal in most other western countries. It's called vilification. Discrimination. Racism. Regardless of the who, where, why.

 

[RemieV]

Yeah... I'm not really seeing what the school could even do about it.

Proms are funded by parents and students. They don't take place at the school. They are private functions.

Unless I'm missing something, I don't really see what else to say, here other than "sucks that people are still bigots".

 

[SezMe]

What RemieV posted is right. You have a private party at your place. You pay for the whole deal. You invite only white people in a place with lots of races and nationalities.

How in the world do you write a law against that with violating the First Amendment guarantee of "freedom of association"?

 

[Shiner]

It may be stupid, but there are black beaches in some places too. These are not designated areas, and there are no consequences of being white and hanging out there (or vice versa) but are social constructs based on years past. The black people went there when it WAS segregated, so they took their kids there, then integration happened, but they kept going to that beach anyway, because,well... it was a nice beach and they were familiar with the area.

That's all well and good. It's not the same thing. The beaches don't have signs or security saying "no whites" or "no blacks" or "no non-whites".

The white only prom organisers are prohibiting non-white students from attending.

 

[Shiner]

Yeah... I'm not really seeing what the school could even do about it.

Proms are funded by parents and students. They don't take place at the school. They are private functions.

Unless I'm missing something, I don't really see what else to say, here other than "sucks that people are still bigots".

Yes, it does. I agree that the school can't do anything. I'm just shocked, and a little dismayed, that the town, state, and nation, haven't seen fit to introduce legislation to outlaw this primitive practice. I doubt this is a one-off.

 

[RemieV]

Yes, it does. I agree that the school can't do anything. I'm just shocked, and a little dismayed, that the town, state, and nation, haven't seen fit to introduce legislation to outlaw this primitive practice. I doubt this is a one-off.

The only steps that could really be taken would be... Refusing to allow the school name in prom branding, refusing to allow ticket sales on school grounds, refusing to post signage. But maybe they were doing that already. The articles don't say.

 

[StankApe]

Yeah, I think it's technically a private function. Not school funded or sponsored?

Who knows, it's Georgia....

 

[Shiner]

What RemieV posted is right. You have a private party at your place. You pay for the whole deal. You invite only white people in a place with lots of races and nationalities.

How in the world do you write a law against that with violating the First Amendment guarantee of "freedom of association"?

That's a different way of looking at it. Still not the same. This is more than an invitation list. It's an exclusively and unashamedly all white function. It's the high school prom for the white only students. Calling it a private party is not making it look any better.

I'm sure your explanation would cover the situation in a legal sense, but only because the U.S clings to 300 y.o ideals. The concrete constitution. I don't know how you could re-write the first amendment to make this practice illegal, but somebody should at least have a *********** go at it.......

I realise I'm being critical, but I'm totally amazed by this. You could not even suggest something like this in Australia.

How many non-white people were involved in drafting the constitution?

 

[ddt]

Yeah... I'm not really seeing what the school could even do about it.

Proms are funded by parents and students. They don't take place at the school. They are private functions.

In this case, apparently, yes. There was a case in Mississippi (?) a few years ago where the ACLU sued on behalf of a lesbian girl who couldn't take her girlfriend to the prom. That prom was definitely organized by the school.

The only steps that could really be taken would be... Refusing to allow the school name in prom branding, refusing to allow ticket sales on school grounds, refusing to post signage. But maybe they were doing that already. The articles don't say.

And anyone who objects to the idea of a racially segregated prom, could sue the school for any of those things, if the school allows any of them.

 

[RemieV]

That's a different way of looking at it. Still not the same. This is more than an invitation list. It's an exclusively and unashamedly all white function. It's the high school prom for the white only students. Calling it a private party is not making it look any better.

I'm sure your explanation would cover the situation in a legal sense, but only because the U.S clings to 300 y.o ideals. The concrete constitution. I don't know how you could re-write the first amendment to make this practice illegal, but somebody should at least have a *********** go at it.......

I realise I'm being critical, but I'm totally amazed by this. You could not even suggest something like this in Australia.

How many non-white people were involved in drafting the constitution?

Boggled by this whole post.

Do you really think this is the status quo for the United States? Does Australia really legislate private parties? Do you really think that the U.S. "clings to 300 y.o ideals"? Do you really think the answer is a full-on redrafting of the Constitution?

 

[Accidental Martyr]

Yeah... I'm not really seeing what the school could even do about it.

Proms are funded by parents and students. They don't take place at the school. They are private functions.

Unless I'm missing something, I don't really see what else to say, here other than "sucks that people are still bigots".

Our prom took place at the school. It was all-white but that's because I grew up in an all-white town and went to an all-white school.

 

[Shiner]

Boggled by this whole post.

Do you really think this is the status quo for the United States?

No, but Georgia is a state in the U.S.

Does Australia really legislate private parties?

No, we legislate racial discrimination. In any form....

9 Racial discrimination to be unlawful
(1) It is unlawful for a person to do any act involving a distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of any human right or fundamental freedom in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life. (1A) Where:
(a) a person requires another person to comply with a term, condition or requirement which is not reasonable having regard to the circumstances of the case; and
(b) the other person does not or cannot comply with the term, condition or requirement; and
(c) the requirement to comply has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, by persons of the same race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin as the other person, of any human right or fundamental freedom in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life;
the act of requiring such compliance is to be treated, for the purposes of this Part, as an act involving a distinction based on, or an act done by reason of, the other person’s race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin.
(2) A reference in this section to a human right or fundamental freedom in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life includes any right of a kind referred to in Article 5 of the Convention.
(3) This section does not apply in respect of the employment, or an application for the employment, of a person on a ship or aircraft (not being an Australian ship or aircraft) if that person was engaged, or applied, for that employment outside Australia.
(4) The succeeding provisions of this Part do not limit the generality of this section.
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2013C00013

That's just a small portion of it.

Do you really think that the U.S. "clings to 300 y.o ideals"?

Yes I do.

Do you really think the answer is a full-on redrafting of the Constitution?

Possibly. I mentioned re-writing the first amendment, not the entire constitution. Do you think it's a trivial matter? Does the entire constitution give you the right to racially discriminate?

 

[RemieV]

No, but Georgia is a state in the U.S.



No, we legislate racial discrimination. In any form....



That's just a small portion of it.



Yes I do.



Possibly. I mentioned re-writing the first amendment, not the entire constitution. Do you think it's a trivial matter? Does the entire constitution give you the right to racially discriminate?

Uh - yes. The KKK is allowed to exist, and to march - just like any other group.

How is this "clinging to 300 y.o ideals"? All it means, functionally, is that we have ugliness in the open and then everyone points and laughs at the ridiculous bigots. What is going to change these kids from Georgia's minds is not disallowing what they're doing, but bringing it into the open and having the rest of the world comment on how ridiculous it is. Look at what the kids are saying. They're saying "the way we do this is embarrassing". The entire rest of the country is looking at them and saying "Wow. Georgia rednecks, huh?"

Also, it is exactly like a private party. Look at the articles and what the girl whose idea this was said. She says that because she was homecoming queen, she expected an invitation to the prom and didn't receive it. That means the prom is not just a "come if you're white" party, but is by actual invitation, bolstering its designation as a private function.

You think that the U.S. is backward because we don't have laws about this? I think it's actually more forward-thinking to not have laws. By and large, we don't need that many laws in order to treat people equally. This is Georgia. It isn't weird for them. The fact that they are self-solving is a good sign.

 

[KatieG]

It would also depend on where the prom is being held. If it's at the school, of course they can't do that. The junior prom at my high school was so...depressing. It was held in the school cafeteria.

It's truly sad that in 2013, students are continuing this horrible tradition. I'd hoped they be a little more enlightened.

 

[Carnivore]

In this case, apparently, yes. There was a case in Mississippi (?) a few years ago where the ACLU sued on behalf of a lesbian girl who couldn't take her girlfriend to the prom. That prom was definitely organized by the school.

IIRC, once she got the ACLU involved the school backed down and allowed the girls to attend - but once they got there the only attendees were themeselves and a handful of disabled kids. Almost the entire student body had been secretly invited to an alternative "private" prom at the same time.

 

[Shiner]

Uh - yes. The KKK is allowed to exist, and to march - just like any other group.

How is this "clinging to 300 y.o ideals"? All it means, functionally, is that we have ugliness in the open and then everyone points and laughs at the ridiculous bigots. What is going to change these kids from Georgia's minds is not disallowing what they're doing, but bringing it into the open and having the rest of the world comment on how ridiculous it is. Look at what the kids are saying. They're saying "the way we do this is embarrassing". The entire rest of the country is looking at them and saying "Wow. Georgia rednecks, huh?"

Good post. Very good points, especially the opener.
I don't know a great deal about the regional intracies of the US, but I unnerstan' a fair bit of it. What you're saying (I think) is that to be 'Free' means to be able to discriminate. Logically, that makes sense, and I guess that may be one of the major differences between democracies and republics.

Also, it is exactly like a private party. Look at the articles and what the girl whose idea this was said. She says that because she was homecoming queen, she expected an invitation to the prom and didn't receive it. That means the prom is not just a "come if you're white" party, but is by actual invitation, bolstering its designation as a private function.

So how are these "private parties" homecoming and prom functions. I understand that the homecoming king and queen are elected by the students on a popularity/looks basis. (these assumptions may be based on movies) And 'prom' is a school term for a graduation function. I don't mean to be antagonistic, and merely seek some informed opinion on the subject. It's a dodge that shouldn't be legal.

You think that the U.S. is backward because we don't have laws about this? I think it's actually more forward-thinking to not have laws. By and large, we don't need that many laws in order to treat people equally. This is Georgia. It isn't weird for them. The fact that they are self-solving is a good sign.

Yeah see, I've seen this argument before, in a gun thread I think. I can't/won't try to discredit it. I understand it's a valid representation of the constitution, but I'm glad I don't live there.

It's good that the kids are embarrassed, but they simply shouldn't have to be in a modern civilised society. (IMO)