Texanna Edwards: Teenager banned from Tennessee prom when she showed up in Confederate flag dress

Publish date: 2024-10-03

Teenager banned from her high school prom for turning up in Confederate flag dress

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 15:48 EST, 25 April 2012 | Updated: 15:57 EST, 25 April 2012

108

View
comments


A high school senior was barred from her prom after she showed up to the dance wearing a dress emblazoned with the Confederate flag.

Texanna Edwards, 18, wasn't allowed to go inside last Saturday with other students because of her choice of gown that she had helped design.

The dress - red, knee-length and covered with blue stripes and white stars - was deemed 'inappropriate and offensive' by teachers at Gibson County High School in Tennessee. 

Scroll down for video

Controversial: Texanna Edwards, 18, wasn't allowed into the dance at Gibson County High School in Tennessee because of the gown that she had helped design

Controversial: Texanna Edwards, 18, wasn't allowed into the dance at Gibson County High School in Tennessee because of the gown that she had helped design

Miss Edwards told Msnbc that she thought the dress was 'cool' and wanted her dress to look like the Confederate flag because she lives in the south. 

She said: 'We kept asking people walking inside - black and white - and everyone said they loved it.

'Two black women even went off on the principal. They were upset with the principal. No one was upset with me.'

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

Director of schools for the region Eddie Pruett said there have been episodes of racism at the school in recent years and that the principal believed the dress may have caused a problem. 

Miss Edwards had been told by teachers that if she went home and changed she would be allowed into the school dance but she decided against it.

Defence: The 18-year-old said she thought the dress was 'cool' and that other students, black and white, agreed with her

Defence: The 18-year-old said she thought the dress was 'cool' and that other students, black and white, agreed with her

Flying the flag: The high school student said she wanted to wear a unique dress and felt the Confederate flag was appropriate because she is from the south

Flying the flag: The high school student said she wanted to wear a unique dress and felt the Confederate flag was appropriate because she is from the south

Her family had spent around $500 on the specially designed dress along with the teenager's hair and make-up. 

The 18-year-old added that students at her school often wear T shirts and belts with the Confederate flag and it has never been an issue before.

The 13 stars of the Confederate flag represent the southern states who attempted secession from the United States during the Civil War, and where slavery was legal.

The Confederate States set up a government from 1861 to 1865, but were eventually defeated by northern states in the U.S. Civil War.

The 13 stars on the Confederates Flag represent the states of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.

Off to the dance? Miss Edwards was not allowed to attend the high school prom with fellow students because her choice of attire was deemed offensive

Off to the dance? Miss Edwards was not allowed to attend the high school prom with fellow students because her choice of attire was deemed offensive


Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Fcn%2BUampuZ4SaxaK6zZpkfpynlr%2Blv4yNnJ6mkZyys3nBmqWnnZRioaa6zZ6qrJ2VYr2zu8xmqqGnp5qxbo%2FOp52enJWnrrWxjJ%2Bjmp9dmb%2Bmv9Jnn62lnA%3D%3D