Groundbreaking teen, organizer of integrated prom, visits CMHR

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This article was published 24/11/2014 (4342 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mareshia Rucker had no intention of making international headlines when she organized the first-ever integrated prom at Wilcox County High School in Abbeville, Georgia, last year – she just wanted to celebrate her graduation with her friends.

So, when people told her repeatedly what a big deal her initiative was, she didn’t really understand what all the fuss was about.

“People were saying, ‘This is monumental.’ But I’m like, ‘This is just a dance with people that I like and I’m friends with. It’s nothing unusual,’” she said.

The organizers of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights would beg to differ. The red dress and shoes Rucker wore to the prom last year are on display in the museum’s “Inspiring Change” gallery.

Rucker, as well as her mother and grandmother, flew into town late last week to visit the museum and see the sights. She is participating in an event for content contributors on Monday.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca