Prom send-offs celebrate Black girls and their communities

This is what a Chicago-style prom send-off looks like in action. While not exclusive to Chicago, these prom send-offs have become a rite of passage for many Black girls in which their communities celebrate the girls as they take what will be one of many symbolic steps on their journey toward womanhood. For Black girls on the west and south sides of Chicago, prom send-off represents a tradition that goes back – as far as I can tell – at least to the 1990s.