Visit from owner of historic dress

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This article was published 25/09/2014 (4078 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mareshia Rucker of Abbeville, Ga., is becoming known as the lady with the red dress.

That dress and the story of courage and friendship behind it are among the Top 10 human rights stories being shared at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

Rucker wore the dress at the Integrated Prom 2013 for graduating students of Wilcox County High School in the U.S. Now part of the CMHR’s Inspiring Change gallery, the dress will be reunited with its owner next month when Rucker will be in Winnipeg thanks to a crowdfunding initiative on the Internet, which included many Manitobans opening their wallets and hearts to Rucker’s inspirational story.

Until last year, prom night was a racially segregated event, with white students and black students each having their own. In 2013, Rucker and a group of friends provided the leadership to raise the funds and organize a prom that was open to all. Rucker wore the red gown, which is now on exhibit in the CMHR.

The dress represents the courageous story of the student-led initiative to close a racial divide.

They’ll attend a special event Nov. 24 for those featured in the museum’s Top 10 stories.

“Oh my goodness, I am just so excited about this and so grateful,” said Rucker, 19, in a telephone interview. She is now a student at Fort Valley State University, where she is studying mass communications, public relations and broadcasting, while maintaining 3.5 grade point average.

“I’m just completely blown away. I just appreciate so much all the support and the donations that people have given. I’m just so happy, and my heart is just full right about now.”

Through donations, Rucker, her mom, grandmother and at least two of the three other prom organizers will be able to travel to Winnipeg.

The other prom organizers included Rucker’s best friend, Quanesha Wallace, who is also black, and two of their white friends, Stephanie Sinnott and Brandon Davis.

The motivation behind the Integrated Prom 2013 was simply love, friendship and the desire to see everyone treated the same regardless of skin colour — concepts that clearly have a long way to go to gain acceptance, not just in Georgia but in many places in the world.

The students were friends and classmates who simply wanted to celebrate their high school graduation together. Their message to abolish segregation was issued loud and clear and has garnered growing support in North America. It carried considerable shock value across the border as many Canadians thought segregation no longer existed in the U.S., a country with a black president.

“It is a really good feeling knowing that other people care about the fact that you did something that you felt was right. So therefore everything ended going very well for us,” Rucker said.

Rucker said it feels right that the red dress is now being shared with the world in the human rights museum because the dress was shared with her by someone.

“It actually came from promgirl.com; it was donated,” Rucker said.

Matthew McRae, the former researcher/curator-turned-communications adviser who brought Rucker’s story to the CMHR, said the museum is thrilled Rucker will be able to attend the November event.

“One of the questions we wanted to answer in the Inspiring Change gallery is what does change look like? Well, change can look like a prom dress,” McRae said, noting his mom was one of the more than 75 donors who contributed to the Provision for the Vision fund to bring Rucker to Winnipeg.

Rucker said an integrated prom was held again in 2014, and she hopes there is enough support from community leaders to continue to go forward with just one prom that is open to everyone.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca