Illinois school with history of social justice events hosts segregated graduations

A public university in DeKalb, Illinois, hosted a segregated graduation event for black students. 

The Center for Black Studies at Northern Illinois University organized a “Black Graduation Recognition Celebration” on May 5, marking the 35th such time that this event was hosted. 

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In addition to the segregated graduation ceremony, the Center for Black Studies hosts many other identity-based events throughout the year, including “Black Heritage Month” in February and a “Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration” in December.

On April 3, the Center advertised “Black Studies Course Offerings” for the Fall 2024 semester. The courses advertised included “Racism in American Culture & Society,” “Social Philosophy of Hip Hop Culture,” and “Issues Facing African American Students.” 

On April 3, the Center hosted a panel discussion on the intersection of race and gender called “What’s the Difference?: Feminism, Black Feminism, and Africana Womanism.” The featured panelists were LaVerne Gyant, previously the director of the Center for Black Studies at NIU, and Katy Jaekel, ACUE Distinguished Teaching Scholar at NIU. 

NIU also hosted a “Lavender Graduation Celebration” for LGBT-identifying students on May 9. “We will celebrate graduates whose identities include: lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, asexual, agender, queer, non-heterosexual and non-binary/gender non-conforming and additional ways individuals may describe their gender/sexual identities,” the school’s Gender and Sexuality Resource Center announced. 

“We will celebrate graduates whose identities include: lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, asexual, agender, queer, non-heterosexual and non-binary/gender non-conforming and additional ways individuals may describe their gender/sexual identities,” it wrote. 

The registration page for the event asked participants to provide their preferred pronouns. 

The segregated graduations this year are not the only instance of NIU’s hosting identity-based events. 

In June, 2023, the school hosted a “Social Justice Summer Camp for Educators” that featured discussions on “Critical Race Theory,” “LGBTQ Advocacy,” “Understanding Social Justice Education,” and “Multicultural Children’s Literature,” among other topics. 

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In the spring semester of 2023, the university organized social justice workshops that focused on subjects such as “white fragility” and “racial battle fatigue.” 

Campus Reform has contacted Northern Illinois University for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.