(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Harvard University’s Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging will host “affinity celebrations” at its 2024 commencement, separating students based on race, sex, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Among the segregated celebrations would be a “Disability Celebration,” a “Global Indigenous Celebration,” an “Asian American, Pacific Islander, Desi-American (APIDA) Celebration,” a “First Generation-Low Income Celebration,” a “Jewish Celebration,” a “Latinx Celebration,” a “Lavender Celebration [LGBT students],” a “Black Celebration,” a “Veterans Celebration” and an “Arab Celebration.”
It was also revealed by the National Review that Harvard will hold a central commencement ceremony for students of all backgrounds, in case some people don’t approve of segregation.
“Celebration Recognizing Arab Graduates, the Celebration Recognizing Jewish Graduates and the Celebration Recognizing Veteran Graduates are being planned in collaboration with student groups and campus partners,” a note on the sign-up form said.
Aside from the documents obtained by the news source, the only available public information regarding the segregated events was published on the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences page. The note didn’t mention the specific events or groups recognized, describing them as “student-led, staff-supported events that recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of graduates from marginalized and underrepresented communities.”
In 2023, the segregated celebrations at Harvard came under fire after the Manhattan Institute’s Christopher Rufo posted the schedule on Twitter, adding that Harvard had deleted the webpage from its website.
EXCLUSIVE: Harvard provided racially segregated "affinity group" celebrations at its commencement event earlier this year. Whites and Jews were the only groups not provided with celebrations.
The university has now deleted this page from its website. pic.twitter.com/ZFLF2exvhL
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 14, 2023
Rufo also mentioned in his post that white and Jewish students were the only two groups without their own events. Even though Harvard added Jews to their list, white people were left without their own ceremony, exposing Harvard’s anti-white racism even after the backlash.
However, some students opposed the segregated events, claiming that the addition of a separate celebration for Jewish students perpetuates the underlying dynamics driving anti-Semitism at Harvard.
“Rather than acknowledge the harmful ways in which Harvard DEI has contributed to campus antisemitism, the university further marginalizes individuals into groups of race, ethnicity, and religion. Harvard DEI is simply out of control,” Harvard Divinity School student Shabbos Kestenbaum said.
