NC State to hold separate graduation for 'Multicultural' students of 'diverse backgrounds'

A school in Raleigh, North Carolina will soon be offering an identity-based graduation event.

North Carolina State University’s annual “Multicultural Graduation Celebration” will take place on Thursday, May 2, at the Piedmont-Mountains Ballroom in the Talley Student Union. 

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“Our Multicultural Graduation celebration is an annual student-centered ceremony that celebrates the diversity in the graduating class,” an event web page states. “While we aim to make this an inclusive space, this event centers the journey of graduating undergraduates, master’s and doctoral students from diverse backgrounds.”

“Part of the tradition of the Multicultural Graduation celebration is connecting to our heritage and roots,” the website continues. “[T]his is typically done by sharing experiences from alumni, honoring graduates with Kente stoles and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge through narratives.”

The graduation is hosted by the Multicultural Student Affairs office. While the office supports all students, it especially focuses on “emphasizing African American/Black, Native American, Hispanic/Latinx, Middle Eastern, and Asian Pacific Islander South Asian American students, all historically underserved, marginalized, and/or underrepresented in the university community.”

In 2022, the office’s graduation theme was “Livin’ My Life,” designed to commemorate “graduates doing their thing, overcoming trying times, and living their best lives.” In 2021, the office held a ““Liberation in Spite Of…” theme.

This event is not the only identity-based graduation ceremony that the university’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity has organized.

The school’s LGBTQ Pride Center hosted a “Lavender Graduation” for “LGBTQIA2S+ graduates” on April 17.

“Lavender Graduation has occurred annually at NC State since the formation of the LGBTQ Pride Center in 2008, the first ceremony was held in the spring of that year,” the description page says. “#LavGrad24 marks the 15th Lavender Graduation at NC State.”

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The event is one of several that marks the LGBTQ Pride Center’s calendar. The center also organizes a “Queer Quorum” twice a month, and an annual “Pride Symposium” in August.

Campus Reform also reported on NC State’s identity-based ceremonies last year. 

Campus Reform has contacted NC State, Multicultural Student Affairs, and the LGBTQ Pride Center for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.