Greetings all! What a great cast of characters we have!! I am excited about this group and absolutely came home energized from all of your good energy! Thank you for taking a risk, putting yourself out there and simply diving in! With only one week it is crucial!
Tonight I want you to go to the first Literary Link posted about Prom Night in Mississippi. There are two videos to watch as well as a short article. In lieu of our thinking about Ruby Bridges and school integration, what are your thoughts about this issue? Make sure you scroll down to see Morgan Freeman. There are additional links underneath that you are also welcome to look at.
Happy Blogging and see you bright and early!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
My first thought was "Really? This happened in 2008?!" But then I considered how easy it is for me to judge having grown up and taught in an incredibly homogeneous state. Truthfully, as Saltzman said, we do all hold prejudices. This film serves as a reminder that while we do have certain freedoms in this country, people are not completely free from intolerance; often the intolerance is in response to issues other than the big ones like race or sexual orientation. We shouldn't overlook those smaller, seemingly less serious examples of intolerance.
ReplyDeleteI was not surpised to hear that most of the students who did not attend the integrated prom were forbidden from doing so by their parents. It is a great challenge for educators to open the minds of students when what is being taught goes against the belief system at home. This is such tricky territory; no one really wants to undermind a child's parents. Beyond that, I was also reminded of how important it is for adults to model appropriate behavior for kids. When the three seniors spoke about the meeting re: the white prom where adults were using the "n word" and making other horrible statements about the black students, I was totally blown away. It will take a lot of positive modeling from many other adults to help some of those children to understand that there are other ways of thinking about racial integration.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was also shocked that it happened so recently, moreso because with technology as it is, it's hard to not hear about every big news story in the country. With news like the swim club kicking out a group of children on every news site, it's amazing that this wasn't a larger issue.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with the assertation that everyone has some sort of prejudice. I mean even today there were more people who played the ignorant part by making Southern accents. Clearly no one in class would have dared do a black or hispanic accent - so why was Southern alright?
I feel completely comfortable undermining a child's parents when it comes to issues such as this. Last year a child came into my class and used the word faggot. I immediately called home and asked them to come in with their child for a conference where we talked about this word and why their child would be saying it. The response was more shocking than I would have expected; they believed it was alright for him to use the word and all I could do was explain why I felt it wasn't and to go furthur and explain why it would not be allowed at school. I'm a little bit saddened that the teachers at this school weren't doing something more about it. Although it is an assumption it would be hard to believe that they were waiting for the students to take the initiative.
Back to the idea that everyone has some sort of prejudice. Whether it be against folks who are from the South, live in a trailer, have a different skin color, come from a different country, speak a different language; we all need to look at outselves and make sure we try to fight against those unfounded beliefs. The second we refuse to admit that we have them is the second we are no longer working towards bettering ourselves and our world.
I'm going to go ahead and check this documentary out, thanks!
Reading the articles and watching the videos made me think of the question, when is it time for out with old traditions and in with new ones? The girl speaking on the NPR podcast made a comment that addressed the fact that although things are “not that bad” between the students of different races, they continue to have the separated proms because it is a tradition that has been passed down by parents for generations. I can understand the importance of keeping traditions alive, but why can’t the school make the prom theme or the prom location a kept tradition rather than separating the proms by race? Geez, it is 2009 already and racial segregation hasn’t been part of a “tradition” for years!
ReplyDeleteThis idea of the parents keeping racial segregation alive in their small town also made me think how we as teachers can help our students form their own opinions and traditions without the persuasion of parents. We all know as teachers that sometimes, as mentioned on the Documentary Clips Prom Night video, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” but we need to explore the best way to expose our students to different ideas and opinions that may differ from their parents so that our students can grow in forming their own identity.
On another note, I was shocked to hear that a school wanted to band students from wearing Obama clothing (note, clothing was not offensive or inappropriate for school). I find this strange since our country is formed around the idea of freedom of speech.
I think electing an African American president is just another huge leap in helping racism decline. I also think having the movie about the segregated proms in Mississippi is helping our country realize that there is still racism out there and this is still an issue that we as a nation need to address.
Race relations have played an important role in my family and education. In first grade, my teacher, Mrs. Fry, complemented my mother on my notable use of metaphoric language to describe my fear of the basement. I had written about how I liked the "black man, named LLoyd, who lived in the basement. He drove an enormous motorcycle loved our dog, took us out for ice cream and did not eat pork chops." My mom did not know how to respond. In our middle class Chicago suburb in the early 1970's, such things were rare. My teacher just couldn't imagine that a kid in that school could mean such a thing literally. But Lloyd, who had been in the service with my dad and was "down on his luck," lived with us for 6 months when I was 7 years old. My dad raised us to help anyone in need.
ReplyDeleteAnother childhood memory is of visiting my severe and germanic great grandmother's 3 flat brownstone in Skokie, IL. She would ask benign questions like what we wanted for dessert, but with her accent, when she said "Who vahnts a maashmelleh?"I was always too frightened to respond in the affirmative. The Gokol family lived in her building. Mr. Gokol was the building super so payed her a reduced rent which he more than made up for as my nana became stranger. As my great grandmother aged, she began to rage against the Jews who had moved into Skokie. She'd "left Germany to get away from that plague", she insisted. After she died, her daughter, my paternal grandma, let me play with the Gokol girls, who were my age. One day at the beach in Evanston, I asked the Gokols if they wanted some of my sandwich. When they asked their mother for permission to share picnics, she explained that they were Jews, so had dietary restrictions. It was all so confusing? Did one hate Jews and march against them in Skokie, or did one visit the beach and giggle in the sand while learning about kuegle?
Later in life, I became a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, where I was temporarily the minority. I had a black boyfriend, from the Fang tribe named Bernardo Massoko Mba Abui. But when I came home engaged to him, my mother was distraught. We did not marry.
Later, I became the national teacher trainer for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC. My mother insisted I would never fit in there because I wasn't Jewish. I only had one negative encounter there. A diminutive survivor shuffled over to me, snatched my ID badge, and spat "Haverkampf! ...You have no right to have you job viss a name like zat." What could I say, standing there in front of the tile wall commemorating children's responses to the loss of 6,000,000 Jews. I was silent a full minute before I said "I am sorry you feel that way." Just then, Nesse Godin, another survivor shooed her away, saying "Oh, Frida, leave my friend Beth alone." Then she whispered, conspiratorially, "She was only in Terezin. It was like a summer camp." Who knew there was a "hierarchy of pain" amongst survivors?
Several texts I teach deal with race relations. In 9th grade, I teach Melba Patillo Beal's memoir Warriors Don't Cry. In 10th, Jim Crow rears its ugly head in Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird. With both of these texts, I share historical research I published through Jackdaws on Jim Crow, and tell my personal stories about how a dumpy middle-aged white lady from New Hampshire has encountered failed race relations and cultural insensitivity in the here and now. The our shared past as Americans is a complicated one. Last week a group of black campers was asked to leave a swimming pool contracted to admit their kids once a week when it turned out the group "changed the complexion" of the club's members. That was in Philadelphia...city of brotherly love.
I have a lot more to say about this...sorry I went on so long...my next post will be short. I promise.
These stories surely brought back lots of memories!!...Moving to the segregated South as a 2nd.grader from Ohio and knowing it was a weird and inconvenient foreign land where I couldn't ride in the best seat on the bus...having a little Black girl ask me in the third grade if I would go into the public library and check out books for her..seeing a burned cross in a front yard..having to really be able to read to get a drink from a fountain or go to the bathroom...I just thought the whole place was strange and stupid. We lived there over 4 years and I was more than ready to leave! I just couldn't understand why people lived like that. After all, in Ohio a Black girl had been President of our Brownie troop!
ReplyDeleteI remember high school in South Carolina, walking down a dirt road with some kids..and Bubbah (yes, that was his real name) saying, "The day them niggers come to our school will be the day..."
I remember taking a bunch of students from their western Nebraska town of 220 to the big city of Omaha. They were so happy and amazed to see actual Black people! Of course, I had them roll up the windows when they yelled, "Wow! Look at HIM!! He's REALLY Black!! But at least they were positive about their experience.
It all seems so illogical and wasteful not to know and appreciate each other. Why do humans need to have somebody at a lesser level than they are? We all seem to do it in some way. It must be an inborn trait similar to a chicken's pecking order. But I think it's up to us as teachers to help people of all ages to try to overcome our natural tendencies and think of each other in a more positive light.
This is Janna- (I don't know how to make my profile say my name...) I was mortified that this high school has had segregated proms and that other high schools continue to do so. I really appreciate what Pat has to say, and I do believe that most people tend to pick out other people to be lesser than themselves. I think that fear is at the basis of this, and at the basis of prejudice.
ReplyDeletePeople in general seem to have a hard time understanding, recognizing, and believing in their own worth and its permanence. It's as if we are constantly trying to prove our worth to ourselves and to others; so it is tempting to pick out others who are different and to proclaim our superiority in comparison. I think we do this because we are afraid that who we are is not enough and maybe if we claim that someone else is worth even less than maybe that constant nagging fear will go away. This is why I also appreciated what Andrew had to say, about how we need to focus on our views and prejudices. I really feel that the fastest and easiest way to improve our vision of the world is to have a more accepting, loving vision of ourselves. Once we accept ourselves and our own flaws I feel we are less eager to point out what we perceive to be flaws in others. I really feel that the best approach to dealing with prejudice is compassion, understanding, and gentle questioning. The point should not be to shame, but to open up in that person's heart the corner that has been closed off--and I don't think guilt or shame can achieve that. The students in the documentary seemed willing to change because for them, race isn't as scary as a concept as it is for their parents, and maybe this prom and their line of thinking can change the view of their parents.
Today, I began to think about integration and all who were affected after reading and acting out the story of Ruby Bridges. I thought about the injustice the little girl faced as she simply tried to go to school- an American right. I thought about the angry mob that would yell and curse this child- she was simply a child! It is so hard for me to fathom that adults would be so ignorant to a child back then. Now, to my horror, this injustice and ignorance continues to abound in our world today. The interviews, the articles, and the responses from students concerning the segregated proms in Charleston simply shocked me! As I listened to the Q radio interview, I could not believe that in the year 2009, the issue of segregation lives on. Paul Saltzmann responded with a, “You’re kidding me!” when he heard about the separate proms, and I too felt the same way when I began listening to this!
ReplyDeleteI understand that no matter what people will have certain “prejudices” against others, but it takes the strength of individuals, i.e. Paul Saltzmann to make these issues known and to force individuals to think about the impact and effect of their irrational thoughts. In the Q&A, the white parents’ lawyer said that the reason they wanted separate proms was because the white kids listened to country music while the black kids listened to hip-hop. I do not believe a lamer excuse could have been thought up. Chastity sites that ALL of these students are together for four years, and that it is simply nonsense that they cannot spend their last school dance together.
Listening to the interviews and reading the articles, I am sorting out my own feelings surrounding such issues. I believe that this is exactly what we need to do with our own students. We need to provide them with such opportunities to challenge and question what is going on around them. After filming this, Paul Saltzmann states that the white principal goes on to discuss race with the black school board member- something that they had never done. The universal message of tolerance lends itself to thinking about other avenues where prejudice and intolerance exist.
I had a group of Asian and Indonesian students this year that were very close amongst themselves. Whenever possible, I would urge them to share anything about their culture with the class. Living in mostly white New Hampshire, my students are not exposed to the variety of cultures that exist in the world, and when the girls would begin talking, ALL of my students would hang on each and every word. We need to teach students to inquire and to think about others who surround them. A few years ago in an English course, John Lofty forced us to understand who the “other” really is and what it means to be the “other.” This year, I challenged my students to tell me about the “other” and many struggled with the issue. At first, it was hard for them to comprehend that someone would want to be different than them, but after lengthy discussions, the classes came to the conclusion that it is okay to be different and that we are all granted the right of individuality.
It was truly amazing to see such segregation still exisiting in the South with prom night being used as a vehicle to perpetuate racisim. How sad that so little had changed in that very tiny Southern town regarding tolerance and acceptance of different skin color and with an event that involved America's youth. Legislation can mandate change, but this mandate cannot legislate deep seated thoughts, emotions and prejudices to change. Change needs to be internal with external evidence supporting that the change has transpired. Having grown up in the 60's and seen and read about segregation, churches being burnt, lynchings, civil rights workers dissappearing and, in time, riots seeing this footage seemed to accentuate the need to be always mindful of how damaging racism can be for all people.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in Massachusetts and going to college in New Hampshire it is truly hard for me to imagine race relations in Mississippi. Though stories, books, and movies I can imagine what it was like before and during the civil rights movement, but I never fathomed that there would still be segregated proms.
ReplyDeleteOne of the more alarming part of one of the video’s to me was one of the “white-folks” mother’s comments about the issue of integrating the prom was “why fix what isn’t broken, it has been working for us for years”. And students saying roughly the same comments of “that is what our parents have done forever”. Even with Morgan Freeman offering to pay for their prom in 1997 there still was no movement within the community! For people to be that stuck in their way, now in 2008, boggles my mind.
It bothers me that the “tradition” of a segregated prom never seemed to even be questioned by anyone except Morgan Freeman. The parents kept the tradition alive and the students went along with it. The school board did not even doing anything about it when approached by African American student council members. I think a teacher could have a great affect in this situation, of just brining up the question, “how do you feel about a segregated prom”. Planting the seed is half the battle.
After watching the clips I was surprised at how recent this was. I do not think people expect to hear about this happening in 2008. A lot of people, I think at times I may be one of those people, think that racism to this degree is a thing of the past. I was also surprised at how this was never really discussed in the mainstream media (at least not to the length where it reached my ears). I would have thought that this would have been broadcast to a greater degree than it was.
ReplyDeleteI think that this film could be used to show that even though we have come so far we still have so much more to go in terms of intolerance. As teachers it is our responsibility to tackle these issues in our classroom. It may be uncomfortable and we may even be scared but change never occurred easily. I can not help but think what we would be showing and telling our students if we ignore these issues. I think all of our students need to be exposed to any type of diversity. If we don't stand up for those who are feel marginalized what does that say about us? I think that may be the prejudice the filmmaker was talking about that we all have.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a household where tolerance and acceptance were emphasized. My mother always said never judge someone unless you walk a mile in their shoes. This played a huge role in my own views on people of different backgrounds. I try my hardest to instill this idea in my students. Since my students are the future of the world I hope that they build a world that I would be proud of.
After reading the article and watching the videos, I continued to be disturbed by the situation. It seemed from reading this that the main people that were continuing to force the issue were the parents. It is scary to think that there are people in this world that teach their children how to exclude and hate others – though I know that more people in the world than just these parents that are teaching their children to hate in other ways. Many of the children in this town seem to be the conscience of the community, because they know that this segregation is wrong. The children just want to spend their prom with all of their friends – race is not an issue for them. The children want it to end, but the parents want it to continue.
ReplyDeleteThen my thinking shifts because this problem has not continued for this long without the help of other people in the community. It makes me think – how many parents are leading this charge for a segregated prom? From the clips and article, it seems like the number of people for an integrated prom far outweighs the number against it. So why has nothing been done? Fear? Lack of courage? Apathy? Feeling like they can’t do anything to make a change? It’s probably all of these things and more.
The bottom line is that the majority’s opinion is being hushed by a few loud and ignorant voices. Words are not as powerful as actions. If the community chose to make this change and stop putting up with this ignorance, then the minority that continues to believe in segregation will begin to feel the burden of other people’s disapproval and their power will dissipate. I’m not saying it would be easy to accomplish this, but you have to have the courage to act on your beliefs. As a person of integrity, you can not allow injustice to continue simply because it is the status quo. You have do more than talk; you need to actively make a change.
When I first saw the link to this site a few days ago I clicked on it and I couldn't believe what I was reading. I reread two or three times and just sort of sat at the computer screen feeling dumbfounded. Then watching the clips this evening I found myself overcome with emotion. Tears began streaming down my face as I heard about the situation at Charleston High School. How is this even possible in this day and age???? As I continued to watch I wrote down phrases that stuck out to me; "23 active hate groups", "white parents spear-headed this", "change only really begins within", "some parents still insisted on having a white prom." As I type this and look over my notes I am reminded of a thought I had while reading the beginning sections of Through My Eyes today. Ruby talked about how she was only six and didn't know/realize the racial tension that was going on around her. Many kids don't have a prejudice until it is taught to them by their parents or surroudings. I think back to when I was student teaching in Chinatown (NYC) and I showed a picture of my students to my brother (who at the time was around 8 years old). I asked him what he noticed about these children (all were Asian). And to this day I remember what he said to me - "They all have brown hair." That's it. He did not see them as different from him in the slightest bit. It saddens me that some of us lose this innocence and prejudice free way of being because of our parents or the environment that we are raised in. Imagine what the world would be like if we could continue to see things through the eyes of a child-without any prejudice to cloud our thoughts or views of the people around us. ? ? ?
ReplyDeleteI found this story sad and hopeful at the same time. It's hard to fathom in a world today, where so many in the black community have become so successful, that some humans still opt to be narrow minded and bigoted! In these Prom Night articles, only a few in the community were purposefully hurtful, but the hurt that was thrown at the youth of this town during their prom, was unacceptable. It's sad to think that the root of most of the problem came from the adults. How sad to think that after 40 plus years, things still haven't gotten much better in some places. After all, isn't that what my generation marched about? I am curious to know if some in the black community were pleased with the segregated prom - just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if wealth played into this? Some of the students who went to the white prom seemed to have very expensive dresses on (with not much fabric) and seemed to be carrying huge bouquets of flowers. (What happened to the corsage?) Were the whites able to buy their way out of following the rules and laws-integrate--this seems prevalent today.
When we lived in Austin, TX, I had joined a Dixieland band. An older person (not gentleman) sat next to me, and as we introduced ourselves to each other as soon as he heard my Bronx accent, my name became Damned Yankee. He spoke of succession all the time. At first I thought he was kidding, but he was dead serious - just another example of the "War isn't dead."
I noticed in one of the videos, that there were white students present and mingling with their classmates. This was before Mr. Freeman footed the bill for the integrated prom - good for him and GREAT for the kids that attended. After Mr. Freeman stated that the entire thing was "stupid," and sponsored the integrated prom, it showed hope for the future. I loved the fact that so few attended the white prom that year.
Hope can only happen one person at a time. We need to be aware that you can't change all, but with time there's hope.
I had the same reaction many had. This happened when? Not growing up in a household that supported this kind of thinking makes it hard for me as a parent to understand how parents could support and insist on this type of segregation. I guess it comes down to fear. Fear of what will happen if traditions change. Fear on the part of the kids to face their parents and insist on change. Fear of community members, shop owners to make the change. How sad that the kids spend their high school years together and then are separated on the night they are to celebrate their accomplishments before going out into the world. How sad that they are given this idea of segregation to carry with them into the world. Hate and fear are very powerful emotions. Is it idealistic to think that as educators we can truly make a difference in changing the way our students/families view others when such strong emotions are involved? Can you be a deep/open minded thinker when rage blinds you?
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad and disappointing that this blatant racism and segregation is allowed to continue. To me there are only two emotions at the heart of issues-love and fear. The fear of the unknown limits peoples’ thinking and keeps them locked in their long held beliefs. It takes moral courage like Ruby’s and her parents to take a stand especially when standing alone. And hopefully the segregated prom in Mississippi will be exposed as the outdated and fear based choice that it is. There has got to be kids who possess the moral courage to make a stand. That’s where teachers’ voices have to be strong. We need to expose our students to the prejudices that existed in our past and connect them to the injustices of today whether it be on the playground or in our homes. The school I teach in is more culturally diverse than the other schools in our district and because of that, our school has been “that school with those kids.” But as time has gone by and with more enlightened leadership, our school has celebrated our variety of cultural backgrounds showcasing its’ richness. The kids find each others’ traditions and languages as interesting and intriguing but mostly they see just other kids. They end up figuring out we are more the same than different. I know for myself coming from a homogenous part of the world, and then being surrounded by a variety of cultures, has been a wonderful part of my education to which I am so grateful. I noticed Saltzman stated that the people of this Mississippi town had lived their entire lives in this town and had not traveled to or experienced other places. I’ve found that this lack of exposure limits peoples’ thinking leaving only fear to feed on itself. What would happened if the prom was mixed? The kids know what is right and they know it will work if only adults would have the courage to stand with them. Meet hate with love. That’s the only way. Courageous teachers can show the way.
ReplyDeleteI had actually heard about the segregated proms before watching these clips, but I did not know all of the details. In addition to the sadness it evoked in me as it did in others who have posted, I was also surprised that I hadn’t heard about the documentary, but I suppose it hasn’t really hit the mainstream, as many films of its kind do not even after being recognized by prestigious festivals like Sundance.
ReplyDeleteBeth’s mention of the texts related to issues of race that she uses in her classes makes me think of a unit on stereotypes I do with my Issues in Literature class. To kick off the unit, we read a short story by Toni Morrison (her only one, I believe) called “Recitatif.” It is about two friends, Twyla and Roberta, and while Morrison does tell you that there is one white girl and one black girl, she never indicates who carries which identity; however, nearly all of my students adamantly insist that the text does in fact tell us. As we discuss the story and individuals give their reasons for their own opinions, it becomes clear that all we are basing our judgments on is stereotypes. It is an uncomfortable but rather revealing discussion.
This example only serves to reinforce Saltzman’s stance (and with which many of you have said you agree) regarding the prejudice we all carry. Such stories also, as Greene suggests in the chapter we read for today, represent one way into students’ ways of seeing and being in the world; it opens up meaningful conversations about things that really matter and encourages them to reflect on their own assumptions, values, and experiences…hopefully to walk away more informed about what they really believe.
Janna’s comments about why such situations exist made me think of a chapter we read in my American Studies class from Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror entitled “Through a Glass Darkly.” He suggests that we, as Americans, do not see clearly who we are (namely, as a diverse people) and, therefore, need to take the time to look in the mirror honestly, examine our reflection, and be willing to accept what we find. Only with that recognition can we move forward. Clearly, the support of Morgan Freeman and the work of this film have given students in Mississippi the opportunity to remove some of the haze and see themselves more clearly for who they are in order to make change that matters. In that, there is hope.
Clearly this is a biased point of view. There's no racism involved here. As the lawyer said, it's just a matter of a difference in musical tastes. I mean, have you ever seen a white boy try to do the electric slide in cowboy boots?
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in Tennessee, a state which took the lead in civil rights being the first state to ratify the 15th Amendment (right to vote regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude") . . . during the Clinton Administration. Yes, my home state ratified the 15th in 1997. So I can't say that I was particularly surprised by this.
When I was in college, I waited tables at a restaurant called Perkins (it was kind of a Waffle House with a carpet). One of my managers was a guy named Phil. One night on the third shift, an inebriated white man held his fist toward Phil and said, "Right on, Man!" Phil said "Right on!" right back, then shook his head and said to me, "Right on. N--s ain't said that since the 70s."
To me the comment about 21st century black teenagers doing "the Electric Slide" was as telling as anything else. I would love to introduce that lawyer to Phil.
Besides, they could always play Kid Rock.
After listening to this mornings discussion and watching the videos myself one question came to mind that wasn't brought up ... why are the white parents so concerned with this prom and not other aspects of their children's life in which they interact with blacks? Why this event? In the clip with the students that turned into a cartoon re-enactment the daughter of a prestigious woman was sitting right next to a black student .. does that bother her mother as well? Also, if it is such a big deal why would you continue to live in an area that is so diverse?
ReplyDeleteListening to the NPR interview the question was asked of "what are the differences in the segregated proms?" .. the response was not surprising to me. The girl commented that they proms were exactly the same except at the white prom parents stayed. They also had special mom/dad dances. I know when I went to prom I left my parents at the house and that's exactly where I wanted them. The white parents seem to want to continue to live through their children and that is why they are making a big deal about segregated proms.
ReplyDeleteThe high school prom seemed to be a big hit and the students really enjoyed themselves. They seem to want to continue this type of prom in the future and hope that the community starts to support them more.
In the Ruby Bridges book I think she felt the same way. Once first grade was over for her the number of rioters diminished, more whites came back to school and she actually had other students in her classroom. Now you have very diverse classrooms and no rioters. The progress was slow but it happened. Hopefully for this school it will too.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey All!
ReplyDeleteI'm developing and producing the educational package for Prom Night in Mississippi and encourage you to go check out our website for more info. The end goal is to approach students with the idea of "healing prejudice".
Via the website, we're creating an online forum with a goal of developing a functional new media project that marries documentary film with social media to engage students in what is often their native digital environment.
Check out promnightinmississippi.com for the first iteration that online presence.
Thanks,
Mike Schaus
Prom Night in Mississippi