Minority Graduation Galas Highlight a Timely Issue
PHILADELPHIA --As the master of ceremonies called their names, the black seniors proudly strode to the front of the room to receive colorful pieces of kente cloth marking their impending graduation from the University of Pennsylvania. The students solemnly called out the names of their elders as poet and social worker Kamau McRae poured water on a plant in an African libation ritual. Afterward, the students laughed and cried as they leafed through their black student yearbooks and offered heartfelt tributes to their favorite professors, to staff members and to one another.
The presentation of the class of 2003 was the central event at this year's Black Senior Celebration. The ceremony here, attended by almost half of the university's 140 black graduating seniors, followed separate celebrations that honored Asian American and Latino seniors in the weeks leading up to Penn's general graduation ceremony today. University officials say these racially and ethnically themed ceremonies are a way for minority students to celebrate their cultural connections as well as their ability to overcome the special challenges they face at predominantly white universities.
"Our students need the support they get from one another," said Patricia Williams, dean of the W.E.B. DuBois College House, a Penn dormitory geared toward the exploration of African American culture. "Often, they don't receive the same recognition and psychological support as other students at the university." But opponents of these separate ceremonies see them as a manifestation of self-segregation, which they say is too common at colleges and universities that proudly cite their racial diversity.
It is a debate that has swirled at the nation's colleges since black, Latino and Asian American students became a substantial presence on campus a generation ago. But it is taking on new significance as the higher education community braces for the Supreme Court's decision in coming weeks on two cases that challenge the legality of race-conscious college admissions. This year, various schools are hosting racially separate graduation events, in addition to their regular ceremonies. Vanderbilt University had a separate recognition ceremony for black graduates. Washington University in St. Louis hosted a black senior alliance ceremony.
The University of Michigan and Michigan State University held black celebratory ceremonies. Stanford University will host a black graduation ceremony next month, and the University of California at Berkeley hosted its Black Graduation on Saturday. Many other schools also have special ceremonies honoring Latino and Asian students. "The fact that these ceremonies are so prevalent nicely shows that the common defense of racial preferences -- that it puts whites and blacks on the same campus to learn about and become comfortable with each other -- is senseless," said John H. McWhorter, a UC-Berkeley professor who is an outspoken critic of race-conscious college admissions.
"On the contrary, campuses are precisely where many black students learn a new separatist conception of being 'black' that they didn't have before." College officials say the ceremonies offer a way for minority students to support and recognize one another in an environment that they often find isolating. Black and Latino students, particularly, are far more likely not to finish college than whites or Asian Americans. While educators blame that on flaws in the academic preparation of some black and Latino students, they also say students are more likely to founder if they feel adrift at predominantly white schools.
