Free Republic

Black graduate students at Harvard University will soon be a part of a first-of-its-kind ceremony. On May 23, the prestigious university will hold an individual ceremony for black graduate students, according to a report by The Root. The ceremony, which took a year to plan, celebrates “fellowship,” not “segregation,” Michael Huggins, a graduate student who will receive a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School this month, told The Root. “This is an opportunity to celebrate Harvard’s black excellence and black brilliance,” Huggins told the online publication. “It’s an event where we can see each other and...

Two days before Courtney Woods dresses in a cap and gown for Harvard’s traditional commencement, she will don a stole made of African kente cloth and address the crowd at a somewhat different event: a graduation ceremony for black students. Student organizers said the event, called Black Commencement 2017, is the first universitywide ceremony for black students at Harvard, and is designed to celebrate their unique struggles and achievements at an elite institution that has been grappling with its historic ties to slavery. ADVERTISEMENT More than 170 students and 530 guests have signed up to attend the ceremony, which will...