As universities prepare for their annual graduation festivities, several institutions
, both public and private, are offering separate celebration events that are specifically advertised to graduates who fit into certain racial, ethnic, cultural, or sexuality-based identity groups.
The events are generally open to all students, regardless of their identity, although the events are typically advertised as if they are geared toward a specific identity group. Some are also offered by academic departments, such as African American studies or “Latinx” studies.
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At UCLA, there are several identity-oriented graduation celebrations that purport to be student led and stand apart from the main university commencement event. The lavender graduation is for gay and transgender students and is hosted by the campus LGBT resource center, and students can also attend the “Afrikan student union celebration,” the “Vietnamese student celebration,” “Latinx student celebration,” or the “Asian Pacific Islander Graduation Ceremony.”
The Los Angeles public university also offers graduation celebrations for “students with dependents,” members of athletic teams, and a campus Jewish group.
A similar story unfolded at Columbia, where students could attend seven additional celebrations. The Ivy League school offers a “lavender” celebration for the gay and transgender community, as well as separate events for black, Asian, Native American, Latinx, and first-generation graduates and those from low-income backgrounds.
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“In honor of Columbia’s diverse student community and complementing the school- and University-wide graduation celebrations, we are proud to also offer Multicultural Graduation Celebrations, which provide a more intimate setting for students who self-identify in a variety of ways,” the university website says. “These events invite community members to reflect on personal growth and community experiences that have impacted their time as students through to graduation.”
Other schools offering similar graduation celebrations include Harvard University, Grand Valley State, and California Polytechnic State University.
