CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 6/29/2015

Gillian Laub: Southern Rites

In Southern Rites, photographer Gillian Laub's provocative 12-year visual study of Mount Vernon, Georgia's struggle to confront longstanding issues of race and equality, Keyke Burns is quoted on the issue of segregated proms: "Every year there’s like one mixed couple and they are always welcome at our prom. But there’s no way Siarria was allowed to take Kent to the white prom. White girls can be friends with black boys, but if they have relationship with a black guy they’ll be disowned or their car will be taken away. A girl in my grade had just gotten a new car her senior year. Her momma kept coming to my daddy because he’s the police chief, asking him to keep her away from this black dude’s house. My daddy was like, ‘Well she’s eighteen, you can’t make her come home, you can’t control who she dates, you can’t call the police on her anymore. She’s grown now.’ This girl got her car taken away and kicked out of the house. She is on her own now with no money, no car. I think that’s what scares people the most around here. They don’t want to lose all the privileges they get. I guess I don’t blame them. I want a nice car too." Featured image is of Siarria and Kent outside the black prom, 2008.