If a conservative was promoting segregation, then there is no question that liberals would be up in arms and crying foul. However, when a liberal organization does it, that just means that they are practicing inclusion, and so that doesn’t count. Apparently Chapman University in California has taken that cue very well, because they are now going to hold segregated “Cultural Graduation” ceremonies in tandem with the main ceremony. They will be having functions such as “Black Graduation”, “APIDA Graduation”, “Lavender Graduation”, “Latinx Graduation”, “Middle Eastern Graduation”, and even “Disability Graduation.” Yes folks, this is really happening. The segregated ceremonies at this “woke” university will be taking place on July 30th, July 31st, August 1st, August 6th, August 7th, and August 8th.
“Cultural graduation celebrations are an addition to the university-wide commencement ceremony and all students are free to register for these additional celebrations, sharing the joy of graduating with their friends and family if they so choose,” a post on the college’s cross-cultural board said.
However, in a statement to Campus Reform, Chapman University’s President of the College Republicans Justin Buckner strongly denounced the event.
“It seems to me that people that are claiming to fight racism are the ones who are inadvertently re-popularizing it,” Buckner stated. “Just like there should not be a separate graduation for academic achievement, there shouldn’t be one for someone’s skin color. The lack of attention in this area where we ignore exceptional individual achievement and simultaneously look only through the prism of race is discouraging and concerning for our future.”
Of course, Chapman’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jerry Price defended the “Cultural Graduation Ceremonies.” He told Campus Reform magazine that these types of ceremonies are held to “honor the dedication and resilience of students from underrepresented communities.” With that being said, Price also said that there are “no restrictions on student participation.” Moreover, students are allowed to go to one of these graduations if they identify as an “ally of these groups.”
This is all well and good, but aren’t we just separating ourselves yet again? Shouldn’t one main graduation ceremony be enough?
What do you think?