Cultural graduation ceremonies honor underrepresented student groups
Graduates in cultural ceremonies receive regalia that holds significance to their respective backgrounds. Above, serape and kente stoles referencing Mexican and Ghanian materials sit with rainbow-colored cords in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Photo by Enza Marcy
Ebonique Little, Contributing Writer
The unique challenges faced by some minority graduates won’t go unnoticed this December as three intimately-held VCU ceremonies unite students of similar cultural backgrounds and uplift their academic journeys.
During fall and spring commencements, cultural graduation ceremonies — Donning of the Kente, Latinx Achievement Ceremony and the Lavender Celebration — recognize the academic achievements of Black, Latino and LGBTQ students. VCU’s first Lavender Celebration was held in 2012, while the other two cultural ceremonies were introduced in 2016.
“These ceremonies are significant because they honor traditionally marginalized and overlooked communities,” said Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, or OMSA, Programming Coordinator Tiana Ingram. “And these are the students who, most often, were not considered in academia, who weren’t even allowed to attend institutions.”
Typically hosted by a VCU alum as the keynote speaker and a designated family member or friend to give students their regalia, all three events seek to provide them with a “positive and rewarding experience that recognizes hard work, dedication and perseverance,” according to OMSA’s website.
In the past, some of these experiences were enriched by DJ duo The Diegos, Elegba Folklore Society dance and drum performances, and interpretive routines from the Khalima and Laterna Dance Company.
Due to the coronavirus, OMSA recently announced adjustments to these ceremonies. Winter 2020 graduates will receive their regalia, ceremony booklet and a personalized hand-written letter in the mail. Ingram said the OMSA staff seeks to send impactful messages.
“We set aside a day in the semester, and you know, we try to be intentional,” Ingram said.
Students who register for recognition learn about the history and cultural relevance of their respective ceremonies — those participating in the Donning of the Kente are bestowed with a stole made of kente, a cloth which originated in Ghana and symbolizes prestige in many African societies.
Graduates in the Latinx Achievement Ceremony, which is partly conducted in Spanish, receive a serape stole. The stole represents the traditional blanket-like shawl worn in Mexico, with bright colors and intricate patterns that were once used to indicate one’s family or social status.
Psychology senior Yisela Vasquez-Perez will be included in this semester’s program, making her the first person in her immediate and extended family to receive a college degree.
As a first-generation student, Vasquez-Perez said she faced obstacles in her college career, like learning how to register for classes and pay for tuition.
Vasquez-Perez said joining the school’s first Latina-based sorority, Sigma Lambda Upsilon, was how she established herself at VCU.
“I’m still glad that this is happening in some shape or form,” Vasquez-Perez said, “because my heritage and roots are incredibly important to me.”
Vasquez-Perez was looking forward to recognizing her heritage at an in-person ceremony, but hopes the graduation stoles and other materials can still serve as a point of gathering.
The Lavender Ceremony, which recognizes the achievements of LGBTQ students, began in 1995 at the University of Michigan and has since expanded to VCU, making the university one of about 200 schools to host it.
The significance of lavender to the LGBTQ community traces back to the pink triangle that gay men wore in concentration camps, combined with the black triangle that signified lesbians as political prisoners in Nazi Germany, according to CNN. During the ceremony, LGBTQ students are presented with a commemorative rainbow cord.
Despite having to change the format, Ingram said honoring specific groups of students outside of the university-wide commencement was important.
“We understand that your story is probably different,” Ingram said. “We understand that there are some struggles and some barriers that you had to get through to even get here.”
Students can register online for the cultural graduation ceremonies at omsa.vcu.edu/what-we-do.
