Today the KNS ran a story about two local debutante balls. Not sure if it's behind the subscription wall, so I'll summarize the main points.

One ball is hosted by the local chapter of AKA, and although these debs are mostly African-American, girls must apply and there is no racial criterion for selection. Knoxville's society event, the Dogwood Ball, is a different story. Invitation only, and one of the official criteria is that the girl must be white. The chairwomen, somebody named Ann Trent, stated that "she does not see a problem with the event being segregated."

Then she went on to say: “I think it’s beautiful that (the local AKA chapter) has started their own for their girls."

As my spouse observed, that remark would have been condescending in 1975. In 2015, it's mind-boggling. And this women didn't say it in private to her friends; she said it for publication.

I'm not at all surprised this is the unofficial policy, given that there's never been a black deb in the history of the Dogwood Ball. I AM surprised it's still an official policy, and shocked at this woman's comments.