UCLA hosting special LGBTQ, 'Latinx,' 'Asian Pacific Islander' graduations
Special graduation celebrations at the University of California, Los Angeles include the 'Lavender,' 'Latinx,' 'Vietnamese,' 'Asian Pacific Islander,' and 'Students with Dependents' ceremonies.
The 2022 Asian Pacific Islander ceremony included a keynote address from a speaker whose biography says that '[t]o survive capitalism, she is a teacher focused on liberating pedagogy.'
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is hosting special graduation ceremonies based on students’ identities, according to its commencement website.
Ceremonies scheduled ahead of the general commencement in June 2023 include the “Lavender,” “Latinx,” “Afrikan Student Union,” “Vietnamese,” “Asian Pacific Islander,” and “Students with Dependents” celebrations.
The Lavender Graduation is coordinated by the LGBTQ Campus Resource Center, which describes the ceremony as “conducted on numerous campuses to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to their universities.”
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Tentative activities, the description continues, include opening with a land acknowledgment, a keynote address, an address from a graduating student, and the “LGBTQ Studies Certificate Presentation of Minors.”
Another special ceremony, the Latinx Graduation, is “a culturally empowering ceremony including English and Spanish speakers and performances representing historical traditions from various parts of the Americas,” according to the website created for the graduation.
“We aim to create an inclusive space that celebrates our intersectional identities while cultivating a sense of unity,” the description continues.
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The Asian Pacific Coalition hosts the Asian Pacific Islander ceremony and will feature a keynote speaker and student speakers.
In 2022, Tiffany “TiDo” Do delivered the keynote address. The biography listed on the graduation website says that “[t]o survive capitalism, she is a teacher focused on liberating pedagogy,” and “[t]o upend capitalism, she builds community with the people, plants and land.”
The 2022 ceremony also included a performance from Innuendo, “a queer, femme band” that “use[s] indie rock/R&B inspired melodies to capture feelings of reflection, nostalgia, and empowerment.”
Campus Reform contacted all relevant parties listed for comment and will update this article accordingly.
