Community Organizing & Activism in Action
Hampshire High School
Fall 2023
Community Snapshot
Hampshire, Illinois, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Chicago located along a major interstate. It’s not rural, it’s not urban, and it’s at best semi-suburban.
Its population is 8,000–up 170% since 2000.
Community Snapshot
Hampshire High School serves about 2,000 students in three different communities. It is part of Illinois’s District 300, the sixth largest district in the state.
Its demographics are not dissimilar to other exurban/far outer-ring suburbs in the area: 57% white, 4% Black, 28% Hispanic, 7% Asian, and 44% of two or more races (Native and Pacific Islander heritage combined is .15%). Nearly one-quarter of the students are low income, while 11% have disabilities, and 7% are “English learners.”
Theater students began behind-the-scenes preparation to perform The Prom for their spring musical. This involved acquiring rights for the performance, which their teacher acquired.
The high school administration and staff were all on board.
The Situation
The Prom is about four Broadway actors reminiscing about their famous lives as they are en route to the small, conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana. They are coming to help a lesbian girl who has been banned from bringing her girlfriend to the prom.
The Prom is based on a real story that unfolded in Fulton, Mississippi, in 2010, wherein the district was sued by the ACLU for violating student First Amendment Rights. It is not a tale of tragedy, nor is it a tale of gay pain. The Prom is humorous, centering queerness and the complexities of being queer in a world that can–and is–hostile to those who are within that community.
The Prom
In September, the theater department began to hear that district administration was nervous about the show. Their concerns related to safety of the performers and the community’s readiness in light of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ incidents locally.
Students began to write letters, hoping that they could assure the district’s leadership that the performance was important and valuable.
The Situation
Students and staff were not only writing letters and speaking with the district leadership. They were talking with their parents, friends, and other leaders of the three communities the high school serves. Recall: the school administration supported the student performance.
In The Background
On October 18, district administration informed the theater department that The Prom could not be performed in the spring.
District administration planned to leave it at that. The theater department would not. They demanded that district leadership tell the theater students personally.
The Situation
Two days later, district leadership held a meeting with the theater students and informed them of the decision.
For two hours, the students responded with letters and personal stories of why this show was so important to them. Students represented a range of LGBTQ+ identities and straight allies.
The meeting did not sway district administration. Administrators did not issue a press release or any information about their decision outside of the Wednesday meeting with staff or Friday meeting with students.
The Situation
That weekend, the community organized.
Because social media began to see a flurry of posts explaininig the cancelation of The Prom–these information graphics were created by parents and shared across their networks, student networks, staff networks, and community networks–the district was forced to issue a press release.
The initial press release was messy, written in haste by district leadership. It was updated again by Monday, October 23, but it left far more questions than answers.
In the meantime, the community prepared to show up to the board meeting on Tuesday night.
Word Got Out
Local and national media covered the story.
Without community organizing, the story may never have come to light, let alone hit these radars.
Students spoke up, as did school staff.
Word Got Out
Over 20 people representing a cross section of Hampshire High School’s community showed up to the board meeting. For nearly two hours, they passionately defended the rights of the students to perform The Prom and responded to the accusations by the district about the community not being ready for it. Leaders across the communities talked about how the district never reached out to them before making this decision and emphasized that community involves talking, engaging, and collaborating across institutions to meet real or perceived needs–including these high schoolers.
School Board Meeting
Start at minute 30 of the meeting. It’s not essential to watch in full, but it is moving and powerful.
School Board Meeting
No decision was rendered at the school board meeting, but by the end of the week, it was official: The Prom would go on at Hampshire High School in the fall.
What Happened?
What Happened
Community organizing + Activism
Concerned parties held people accountable while also educating and informing their networks what was happening. The social media campaign hit the essential notes of what was going on with a straightforward call to action.
How It Got Done