03.Prom

Welcome to the 2016 Flint Northwestern High School Prom! Prom in Flint isn’t your average everyday high school dance. It’s a city wide event. The three photographers involved wanted to make something that celebrated these young people. In a city with as much going as Flint has, traditions like this are more important than ever. Go Wildcats! Explore

I want to be different because I’ve seen for the past few years, everybody go… they go basic. Red and white or white and black, all black, black and gold. I’m like, as a stylist, being creative, I wanted to do something different. So my jacket is royal purple, it’s mixed with symbols, it’s blue, it’s got a lot of things in it. When the sun hits it, it shines. That’s how I am as a person, when I step in the light, I shine. I wanted something to represent myself.”Antonio Nelson, 18

My name is spelt: S-H-A-K-A-L-A.”Shakala Mitchell Wiggins, 18
Prom Queen

Every senior dreams of going to prom, like they say, ‘A night you won’t forget.”

I know it’s too late, but will you be my date?”Shakala Mitchell Wiggins, 18
Prom Queen

She asked me something very crazy. She was like, “They want to know if you can go half on my dress.” “What? This ain’t a wedding. It’s just one night. You get your stuff. I get my stuff. I got other stuff to do. I’m getting our food afterwards, our car, our room, the hotel, the party items. I’m getting everything so this is stressful. The least you could do is get a dress... And look nice. That’s all I want you to do.” It was difficult so I was like, “I’m already stressing enough alone. An extra person, that’s just more stress. I’m going to go alone. Got a car with a friend and... Make it work.”Mattek Sutt, 18
Prom King

I just think she deserved to win Prom Queen. Prom Queen is just crazy, girls just ripping each other’s posters down and talking about each other. To me, as a guy, I don’t think it’s that serious, but I guess they just like wearing that crown and saying, ‘I won Prom Queen my senior year.”Daqueriante McCaskey-Walker, 18

People portray Flint like it’s just a bad place to be, like they make it seem so dangerous to live here, like you could just be walking down the street and just die. That’s not the case…”Shakala Mitchell Wiggins, 18
Prom Queen

Do you know that they actually said we are poor in Flint. They said Flint is very poor. I heard that on the news.”Keoshi Davis Love, 18

People wake up and look at Flint as a place that you can’t survive a day in. I’m 18 and I’m still here.”Mattek Sutt, 18
Prom King

They like, ‘Where you from?’ So I’m like, ‘Flint.’ The faces was like, ‘Ooh.’ They like, ‘Do you get shot at? Have you ever been shot? Are there real drug dealers?”Mattek Sutt, 18
Prom King

His colors was blue, black, and gold and mine was black and gold.”

03. Prom