Most teens’ prom worries involve finding the right dress or making sure the principal doesn’t catch you drinking. Not so for Mississippi student Constance McMillen, whose civil liberties fight this spring garnered national attention when her school canceled prom to prevent her from bringing a same-sex date. Well not only will she get her prom, but the event boasts the best prom music since Marty McFly: ?uestlove and electropop trio Hey Champ.
Lost? Let me bring you up to speed. In December Itawamba County High School denied senior McMillen permission to bring her girlfriend to prom. When the American Civil Liberties Union got involved, the school canceled the event altogether. School parents, apparently addicted to bad publicity, tricked McMillen into attending a fake prom while her classmates held the real event elsewhere. McMillen sued the school. Advocacy group Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition stepped in and invited all Itawamba students to their annual LGBT-friendly “Second Chance” prom this Saturday, funded in part by donations from artists like Lance Bass and Green Day.
Ok, now where were we? Oh yeah, the dance’s killer lineup. Hey Champ’s throwback synth-pop fits the setting so perfectly, one wonders why they play anywhere but proms. ?uestlove will presumably DJ (though a three-hour drum solo would make for a memorable evening).
The big-haired drummer’s involvement continues The Roots’ history of social justice work. The group hosts an annual pre-Grammy Awards jam session to raise money for charities like Rock the Vote and PETA. This, of course, comes in addition to their nightly house band duties on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
The man’s got a busy schedule, but hopefully ?uestlove can spare some time for the next Roots album. How I Got Over has been pushed back so many times you’d think Axl Rose recorded it. It theoretically drops June 8th, but don’t hold your breath. Instead, tell your prom committee the bar has been raised.
