Harvard's Black Commencement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does seem unusual for 2017. What, I'm a woman and no history books I ever had in school mentioned women,nor were there ever any women graduation speakers. No one gave me a graduation for my past travails and for having to birth the population.

It seems like a crutch...like "oh you're black" and w e're going to make a public show of you being black and you're here because your black because we had to have diversity.

? What exactly are you trying to say? It's unclear.

These events come from the students themselves, not some administration people trying to make a show of having diversity..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from Harvard Business School in the 90s. The Asian community has been having separate ceremonies/lunches/dinners for the Asian students for years. This isn't any different. In the Asian community, it happens at every school I know of.

Stop looking for things that aren't there...and stop letting the media shape your thoughts.

FYI- Here is the text of the invitation that I received via email today:
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Harvard Black Commencement 2017 will be the first university-wide celebration of graduate students who identify with the African diaspora[u] at Harvard University. The ceremony will honor the accomplishments of graduating students and their families and will serve as a demonstration of unity and strength among our Harvard community.

In addition to a keynote speaker, the ceremony will feature a performance, student speakers (see below) and acknowledgement of graduating students.

We hope you can join us in celebrating the legacy of social belonging among Black students at Harvard University.
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Interesting. So does this include white Africans?

Such a 90s question.

I have no idea what that means. If it's a 90s questions, you've had twenty years of practice answering it, while I've only been here (in this country) for a few. Want to give it a shot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yet some folks are cheering them saying yes, what a great idea yet Dr. Martin Luther King said

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Yet the black community, the hispanic community continue to push separate things as the first this the first that instead of just talking about the accomplishment.

Well done

The day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. looked to, when people wouldn't be judged by the color of their skin, has yet to come. Until then, it makes perfect sense to me that racial and ethnic minorities would want to congregate with others in their group.

[Anonymous]

Seems like the school is pointing out that blacks are somehow different and need their own show. What if white men said they wanted their own show? And everyone else for that matter. Seems like spoon feeding and divisive

[Anonymous]

I'm extremely liberal. But, I don't like these events, whether it's black, women, asian, whatever. Sorry, I think they're divisive and unnecessary.

My college always had a "black homecoming queen and king" contest. This was so even though 2/4 years that I was there, the actual homecoming king/queen were both black.

There may have been a time when these things had a point. They no longer do. And, no, I don't think everything is equal and peace/love/equality. But, these are pointless, divisive exercises. You're part of a community. You graduate as a community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from Harvard Business School in the 90s. The Asian community has been having separate ceremonies/lunches/dinners for the Asian students for years. This isn't any different. In the Asian community, it happens at every school I know of.

Stop looking for things that aren't there...and stop letting the media shape your thoughts.

FYI- Here is the text of the invitation that I received via email today:
----------------------------------
Harvard Black Commencement 2017 will be the first university-wide celebration of graduate students who identify with the African diaspora[u] at Harvard University. The ceremony will honor the accomplishments of graduating students and their families and will serve as a demonstration of unity and strength among our Harvard community.

In addition to a keynote speaker, the ceremony will feature a performance, student speakers (see below) and acknowledgement of graduating students.

We hope you can join us in celebrating the legacy of social belonging among Black students at Harvard University.
------------------------

Interesting. So does this include white Africans?

Such a 90s question.

I have no idea what that means. If it's a 90s questions, you've had twenty years of practice answering it, while I've only been here (in this country) for a few. Want to give it a shot?

PS. I only asked since it clearly states "African diaspora", which includes a whole host of nations and races.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet some folks are cheering them saying yes, what a great idea yet Dr. Martin Luther King said

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Yet the black community, the hispanic community continue to push separate things as the first this the first that instead of just talking about the accomplishment.

Well done

The day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. looked to, when people wouldn't be judged by the color of their skin, has yet to come. Until then, it makes perfect sense to me that racial and ethnic minorities would want to congregate with others in their group.

I am having a hard time feeling sympathy for African Americans, or anyone really, bitching about being disadvantaged by graduating from Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Some universities (particular in CA and TX... similar to the demographcs of young people there) are majority-minority, and soon whites will be a minority number-wise. I guess no one will mind when Whites have their own ceremony then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm extremely liberal. But, I don't like these events, whether it's black, women, asian, whatever. Sorry, I think they're divisive and unnecessary.

My college always had a "black homecoming queen and king" contest. This was so even though 2/4 years that I was there, the actual homecoming king/queen were both black.

There may have been a time when these things had a point. They no longer do. And, no, I don't think everything is equal and peace/love/equality. But, these are pointless, divisive exercises. You're part of a community. You graduate as a community.

Divisive to whom? You're choosing to see it as divisive. What if the students themselves actually benefit from these events and groups, via support and a sense of community?

The situation with homecoming you've described is a different issue than this one, which involves added supports for minority students matriculating at majority white institutions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet some folks are cheering them saying yes, what a great idea yet Dr. Martin Luther King said

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Yet the black community, the hispanic community continue to push separate things as the first this the first that instead of just talking about the accomplishment.

Well done

The day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. looked to, when people wouldn't be judged by the color of their skin, has yet to come. Until then, it makes perfect sense to me that racial and ethnic minorities would want to congregate with others in their group.

I am having a hard time feeling sympathy for African Americans, or anyone really, bitching about being disadvantaged by graduating from Harvard.

Right, because black people who graduate from Harvard don't experience any racism in the white dominated world they inhabit. Must be nice to live in your fantasy world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yet some folks are cheering them saying yes, what a great idea yet Dr. Martin Luther King said

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Yet the black community, the hispanic community continue to push separate things as the first this the first that instead of just talking about the accomplishment.

Well done

The day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. looked to, when people wouldn't be judged by the color of their skin, has yet to come. Until then, it makes perfect sense to me that racial and ethnic minorities would want to congregate with others in their group.

I am having a hard time feeling sympathy for African Americans, or anyone really, bitching about being disadvantaged by graduating from Harvard.

Perhaps you went to a small college but as another PP mentioned smaller graduations are common in big schools. I went to Michigan in the 90s and I was invited to 3 graduations. The main one, one for Asian Studies and one for Political Science.
There are many ways to slice a large population. So as others have said people are reading something into this that isn't there. Another PP mentioned there has been am Asian Student graduation for years. Maybe ask for a list of all the smaller ceremonies before assuming that this is about African American are bitching about being disadvantaged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The article also mentions that Latin American students have had a separate graduation ceremony for the past 3 years.

Is this common at other schools?

Yes, had this at Emory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good for them. I'm AA and attended another Ivy for graduate training, after an HBCU for undergrad. I can see the desire for such a celebration, in addition to the regular ceremony.

Apparently it's mostly for Harvard graduate students at this point, but they're hoping to extend to undergrads in future years.

Why? What if I want to hold a Whites Only graduation ceremony? You can see the desire for that too, right?

[Anonymous]

This threads never fail to remind me that White Fragility is alive and well!

[Anonymous]

Have none of you been on an Ivy graduation recently? Why do multicultural events bother you? Do you mind when the frats (which are often extremely racially and economically segregated) have their own graduation events? Is it racist for your (mono-ethnic) family to have an all-white graduation party?

Graduation is a happy time and everyone celebrates any way they want to. Harvard is not the only Ivy to have multicultural graduation events. The largest ones are Asian. There are Lavender and Native American and First Generation and Black and Latino graduations at many schools. Its just a chance for each community to get together and honor each other.