Blog Post: Isabella Aiukli Cornell makes prom political

Grade Range: 8-12
Resource Type(s): Reference Materials
Date Posted: 12/30/2020

“For many high school students in the United States, prom is considered one of the most highly anticipated events of the school year. Teenagers plan months in advance on what to wear to the event, and magazines have devoted entire issues to prom fashion. Typically held in the spring, the annual dance serves as an important rite of passage for high school juniors and seniors preparing for the next stage of their lives. In the past several years, teenagers have transformed this yearly ritual into a vibrant site of politics, turning it into a platform to showcase the latest fashion and to broadcast political messages. For Isabella Aiukli Cornell, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a prom dress was the perfect vehicle to express pride for her Native heritage and to signal her support of a growing political movement with which she has been deeply involved.”

Click on the resource to continue reading.


Instructional Strategies