Black Graduation Celebration!

[NUPE4LIFE]

I was watching Fox News this morning, and they had a story on about something they say is going on at a few colleges and universitites around the country. It's where Black students at predominately white universities, hold a separate graduation celebration after the school's official commencement has taken place. One such school that is doing this is Michigan State Univerisity. One of the Black students in the piece said that their reasoning for this is due to the fact that most graduation ceremonies at white school are coming from a eurocentric point of view. Hello...most of our customs in this country come from Europe. Anyway, they feel that it's necessary for them to hold another ceremony with more of a afrocentric perspective.

I'm totally against this. I know that some of you out there are gonna be against me on this one, but I just decided to give you the story and let you decide for yourself. For one I think a ceremony of this type, promotes segregation. I thought the point of the civil rights movement was so that a black man like me, could go to a school like Michigan State and get a degree. And I really honestly feel that if a group of white students wanted to do the same thing, Jesse Jackson would be on the scene trying to say how it's racist. But let's say for instance students have a right to assemble like this, why in the world would they ask the university to pay for it. And that's exactly what they did at MSU. Student Government denied their request for monetary support, but eventually the Office of Student Affairs picked up the tab. The VP of Student Affairs is a brother and he said that they would pay for students of any race to have a celebration. Now what if students of an Aryan nation club wanted to do this? Would MSU fund it? They would have to. What the Black students did is not in anyway racist but, you can't moralize something like this. If you do, then it could becomes a question of civil rights for any student or group who wanted to duplicate what the Black students are doing. I just feel that so much was sacrificed so that we could have the right to state schools and other white institutions.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree. I think we could all argue how commencement and other activities and some white schools is totally eurocentric? But how do we diversify them, and should we? Some food for thought. Later!

[Kisha]

When I graduated, I was in not one, not two, but THREE commencement ceremonies.

One – The university graduation – roughly 8500 people participated in this ceremony. My family hated it! They couldn’t see me and they sure as hell didn’t here my name called. The orchestra played music and MOST of the graduates fell asleep.

Two – My area of study graduation – roughly 1000 people participated in this ceremony, more personal than the first, but nonetheless, boring!

Third – The Black graduation – All graduating blacks participated, roughly 300 people. The crowd roared when they saw us marching down the aisle to “Young, Gifted, & Black. The Gospel choir sung songs we could relate to. The speaker delivered an excellent speech. Special recognition went out to those individuals who made a difference on campus. Every family heard their graduate’s name called. Every graduate had the opportunity to walk across the stage (versus standing when your area of study is called).

Once again, the crowd roared as everyone began to exit as the graduates sung “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”

I am GLAD we had a BLACK graduation!

[Happydaysf91]

Vanderbilt does the same thing...but its before the other graduation. I actually enjoyed it. Sitting next to my friends. Talking, laughing...and etc.

Because it was law school...I was able to work across the stage at both....but its nothing like just kicking it with friends you call 'family' in a really close knit atmosphere.

[Urbane]

Kisha/Happydaysf91, did other ethnic groups have similar separate graduations?

[AKA2D '91]

I remember when my cousin graduated from Medical School, they didn't have separate or in addition to graduations. What they did do was hold an additional AWARDS ceremony. It was held after (rather later that evening) the "official" ceremony, where the AA alumni honored the AA graduates with awards/certificates, etc. It was more close-knit, if you will. When we went to the 'official' ceremony, AA didn't receive too many, if ANY awards/ recognition.

[Happydaysf91]

Actually, I only paid attention to the events that pertained to me...so I couldn't tell you what other ethnics groups did. But I'm sure they probably had one. There were all sorts of organizations at Vandy geared towards minority. The Black Student Union along with the Black Law Student Association and Organization for Black Professional and graduate students hosted this event.

[kitten03]

We only have two ceremonies, a big one for the entire class and one for students of specific schools. However, there is basically a whole separate senior week activities for black students. There are only 400 of us in total, across all four classes so we throw parties to celebrate our achievements. Besides that senior week activities are super expensive and beyond some peoples means so a party is just as good in some cases. Next year, I'll find out all about it Class of 2003

[Proverbs31:30]

I would love to have a "special" ceremony for the African-American graduates on campus. I think it's important that we take time to come together and celebrate Black achievement. General commencement ceremonies at predom. white institutions usually don't afford this opportunity.




______________
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
5-Boule'-01
via Beta Mu Omega

[CrimsonTide4]

***can an AKA moderator delete my post please? I only posted because I needed to let HoneyKiss know to clean out her PM box. **

[Kisha]

I'm not sure, but if memory serves me correctly, I believe the hispanic students had something similar.

I'm willing to bet there were other "ethnic" ceremonies.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
I applaud Black Graduations.

HONEYKISS CLEAN OUT YOUR PM BOX

IT'S CLEAN!!!!!

[Sugar_N_Spice]

Originally posted by Happydaysf91
Its nothing like just kicking it with friends you call 'family' in a really close knit atmosphere.

That's how I feel about it. My shcool has a Black Graduation, usually held on the Sunday after the Shcoolwide, General Commencement Ceremony. There is also a Latino Graduation Ceremony. There may be others but I am not sure...When I graduate I will attend the grad in my dept/majors (proably just one), the Schoolwide one, and the Black One, as well as the Latino One (as long as they aren't conflicting...I gtotta see the homies graduate too)...I know this is a bit much (I might choose b/w the School one and the major one), BUT I feel it's worth it...There are traditions and struggles within Black Culture that others simply DO NOT understand...To walk across that stage with my Black friends that endured the same struggles as me, as far as being the only Black student in most of my classses, and having to work during school, and study twice as much to catch up b/c the High School I went to did not accurately prepare me for college--makes it all WORTHWHILE.

[tickledpink]

Originally posted by NUPE4LIFE
I was watching Fox News this morning, and they had a story on about something they say is going on at a few colleges and universitites around the country. It's where Black students at predominately white universities, hold a separate graduation celebration after the school's official commencement has taken place. One such school that is doing this is Michigan State Univerisity. One of the Black students in the piece said that their reasoning for this is due to the fact that most graduation ceremonies at white school are coming from a eurocentric point of view. Hello...most of our customs in this country come from Europe. Anyway, they feel that it's necessary for them to hold another ceremony with more of a afrocentric perspective.

I'm totally against this. ...

I don't like this either, for all of the reasons Nupe presented. I'm all for us having time together to celebrate our heritage, but for a graduation, I don't feel it's appropriate. It opens too many doors ... for example what if a group of white students decided to do the same thing (white supremacy) in the name of "heritage".

I'm not at all stating that us being proud of our heritage is equal to white supremacy (white supremacy includes race hatred & racism). However, I'm saying the separate ceremony opens doors..., similar to the whole prayer in schools & workplace argument (opens doors for public satanic worship).

[Honeykiss1974]

THe Univ. of Cincinnati has a "black graduation", but it is called somthing else ) I can't think of the name). I thought it was more of a paradoy, if you will, of graduation because each graduate can march down the aisle to their own choice of music, folks clap, cheer, and holla, and people are just there having a good time. They started this because obvisously at the regular university graduation you can not do such things and some folks felt that a graduation IS a celebration (I went to an HBCU and you couldn't fo those things either).

I think instead of calling it "black graduation" (because I know there are some other races that want to hoot and holla for their family members) it should maybe be just some type of alternative celebration by another name. As tickledpink and Nupe has stated earlier, a "black graduation" just opens up a can of worms that we as African Americans are trying to move past.

[AKA_Monet]

Well, since I graduated from Spelman, the whole point to this conversation for a Baccalaureate degree is moot...

However, when I got my Master's at Cal State Univ., I was more like, please send MY degree in the mail!!! Thank you! And I choose not to participate in any commencement ceremonies.

But now, since I've received my Ph.D. in a joint doctoral program between UC and CSU, I feel a compulsion to participate in as many commencement ceremonies as possible, simply because there are just not enough African Americans who graduate from college with Bachelor's, much less with Master's and hardly any with higher professional degrees such as MD's, JD's, DDS, and PhD's...

Nupe4life and Soror Tickled,

I saw the Hannity and Colmes discussion on Fox News Channel. In fact they had spots of 3 African American women getting degrees and one of them is a Soror I grew up with because she wore an AKA kente cloth--which means I know from what school she graduated... That is the same school my brother graduated. And it's a HUGE SoCal university...

Anyhow, for my brother's graduation in 1994, aside from being stuck on the freeway with OJ Simpson, his ceremony was much like our High School's ceremony. A gazillion kids with "Hi Mom" on the Mortar Boards, and nakedness under the gowns. Kids blowing bubbles and throwing beach balls left and right. Guest doin' the "wave" through the stadium 'cuz commencement is sooooo boring. Half the professors don't attend!!! NO PRAYER before the ceremony and no individual names called, just stand up by departments!!! THAT SUCKS after 4-6 years of spending your hard earned money for school and your little hood rat bad assed cousins see you in alla dat mess!!! Moreover, it's just embarassing when your 80-something+ Grandma all da way from Chitlin'switch, Deepsouth struggled to make sure her baby grandchile would hab a "college edumacation" and commencement graduates are spraying sticky string all over the place!!!

THAT IS WHY some African Americans student unions decided to have pre/post-baccalaureate church activities to bring back educational respectability for those struggling families that fought for OUR kind to fathom attending college from JUMP!!! It is only 35 years ago, that many African Americans were killed because of wanting to attend an inexpensive "majority" university... If we call ourselves believing an education should allow one skills and training to advance oneself through the europee-on society, then we owe it to ourselves to have the most honorable and respectable ceremony with all the "rites, privileges and honors" that can be bestowed upon us for which our Fathers were lynched and died...

We are LUCKY we're even ALLOWED to graduate from these schools in the first place! Much less get advanced degrees from them!!! So, there is a reason why "they" don't want us to have our own... It's not like they aren't invited. It's not like they cannot attend... It's not like they cannot participate!!! But for them to say we cannot do it? WTF!!!

And that BS about them havin' they "own" ceremony... Whatever. I say let them... They'll have beer kegs at the dayum ceremony with strippers!!! What kinna "heritage" has cause them to be denied an decent education whose families would be proud of their accomplishments? Really? If my brother's ceremony was any indication of how they have theirs, I'm tellin' y'all don't expect much from that threat... "They" are just jealous, 'cuz all the other ethnic groups are civilized and showing up to more culturally interesting "commencements" rather than the one they pull a $gazzillion dollars off, where kids act a fool and where they can't begin to pray!!! And we doin' it cheaper for what they pullin' it off for!!!

There is more to this story than what folks are being told... There is a reason why "the powers that be" want us to stop our heritage celebrations for graduation. Part of it is $$. The other part, I can't quite figure out. But I do know it has sumthin' to do wit the decrease graduation rates among underrepresented students, the fact that "they" don't want us graduating from jump, and who is celebrating with us during graduation... And if any of y'all believe that we segregating ourselves with private culturally based ceremonies, you had better believe that I have got a $million dollar piece of property to sell ya in the Okeefanokee Swamp!!! Don't be fooled, for God is not mocked, whatever a man soweth, there shall he also reap... Hmmmmm???