UC San Diego hosts ‘Black Graduation,’ ‘Xicanx/Latinx Graduation'
Students can participate in a 'Black Graduation' with the Black Resource Center or the Raza Resource Centro’s 'Xicanx/Latinx Graduation' before UCSD’s 'All Campus Commencement.'
Raza Resource Centro says that its event 'is separate and indepedent [sic] from MEChA's Raza Grad,' or UCSD’s chapter of a group that translates to the 'Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan.'
The University of California San Diego (UCSD) will host identity-specific graduation ceremonies in June 2023.
Students can participate in a “Black Graduation” with the Black Resource Center (BRC) or the Raza Resource Centro’s (RRC) “Xicanx/Latinx Graduation” before UCSD’s “All Campus Commencement.”
[RELATED: These universities are hosting Lavender Graduations this spring]
BRC describes its ceremony as “a pre-commencement celebration to honor Black students who have successfully completed an undergraduate or graduate/professional degree.”
“The ceremony reinforces the bonds of scholarship and extends the sense of community and belonging,” the description continues. “The intimate ceremony is representative of African and African-American culture and culminates with a Kente Stole presentation.”
The Xicanx/Latinx Graduation similarly “highlight[s] the achievement of higher education completion in all degree fields for the Latinx student community,” according to RRC’s website.
RRC “note[s] that this event is separate and indepedent [sic] from MEChA’s Raza Grad,” a reference to UCSD’s chapter of a group that translates to the “Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan.”
[RELATED: Dozens of universities host segregated graduation ceremonies based on ‘identities’]
In Sept. 2022, UCSD planned identity-specific activities for its freshman orientation. These activities included “Black, Latinx, and Native American Family Orientation” and a “Black Surf Week,” which barred white students and their families, according to Campus Reform.
When Manhattan Institute fellow Christopher Rufo revealed UCSD’s activities, he called them “violation[s] of the Civil Rights Act.”
A follow-up report describes UCSD reversing its decision after receiving a legal demand letter from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).
Though UCSD updated its website to advertise the activities to all students, Campus Reform obtained exclusive recordings showing that a UCSD staff member only sent registration forms for the “Latinx” event “to students who ‘self-identify’ as Latinx.”
Campus Reform contacted all relevant parties listed for comment and will update this article accordingly.
