Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog had a range of reaction to Wilcox County Superintendent Steve Smith’s essay on the international media attention to segregated proms, which were held by Wilcox students and their families outside of school. Smith asked why the media never called about what he considers the real stories of his district: the dedication of staff to help students overcome their challenges, and the budget crisis in rural education. Here is a sampling of the responses:
MotherofTwins: I guess the segregated prom flap was a blessing in disguise. We seem to enjoy getting worked up over injustice, and segregation is certainly unjust. This community should be in the spotlight for trying to combat the injustice of poverty and neglect for some of their students. I am hoping that a whole lot of good comes from this community having a spotlight shined upon them.
Cindy: Both stories deserve attention — the story of racism, and the story of dedication. One can only wonder how the dedication of teachers, such as the middle school teacher who bought shoes, will be measured in teacher evaluation. That example is one that was observed. What about the countless examples that go without note except in the lives of the children who teachers have touched with their love and commitment? And there's another story here, too — the story of poverty. It's still sad that Wilcox County was satisfied with separate proms until the spotlight was shone upon the county. Let us continue to shine such lights upon both bigotry and heroism.
HSSPED: I wish the media did care more about Mr. Smith's wish list. Unfortunately, we are more obsessed with our rights than our responsibilities. Wilcox County, apparently, isn't. I live and work in Fayette County and, while there exists a great deal of community support for those in need, there is always room for improvement. And of course, we have a large population that is more concerned about its rights than its responsibilities and constantly wants to "fix" things that aren't broken. What a waste of energy and resources.
Anne: I was born and raised in Wilcox County. I was never afraid of any of my neighbors. People still aren't afraid in Wilcox. I am a great grandmother and still have family living there. You can find small towns and schools all over the South where folks just want to be allowed to raise their children, go to church and say "Hi" to everybody they know. They really did not deserve the type of coverage they received about their proms.
Pride: I think schools shouldn't be in the sports business. Sports, more than the prom, take more resources, focus and academics away from education. A sure way to significantly improve academics in a school is to eliminate football.
Joad: Whoa! Are you suggesting that the media immediately jumped all over a hot-button, sensationalistic story purely to drive sales and ratings for a quick moment and ignored other, deeper, positive and negative stories that are more complicated and much more important in the long run? How dare you insinuate such a thing? Never!
Enoch: I just wish the folks in Atlanta got as worked up about their racism as they do about someone else's.
