Virginia Tech offered ten separate graduation ceremonies this year for different student groups based on identity.

Virginia Tech hosted ten separate graduation ceremonies for students based on their identity.
In May, the university held separate ceremonies for Black, Asian, Latino, Muslim, and LGBTQ students.
Breitbart News reported in May that many American colleges offer separate graduation ceremonies for Black students.
The College Fix reported this week that Virginia Tech is one of many universities that have adopted separate ceremonies for student groups based on identity. For example, The Donning of Kente Ceremony is held to commemorate the graduation of Black and African American students.

The Donning of the Kente Ceremony serves as a celebration of achievement for Black and African American undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. candidates. This ceremony provides graduating students with a positive and rewarding experience that recognizes them for their hard work and dedication. Family and friends are a very important part of this recognition ceremony and are given an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of their loved ones.

Virginia Tech will also hold a “Lavender Ceremony” for student members of the LGBTQ community.

Each spring, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally community at Virginia Tech gathers to recognize the achievements of graduating students during the annual Lavender Commencement Ceremony. This ceremony began in 2009 by recognizing five graduating students. With great joy, the sponsoring organizations (the LGBT Faculty and Staff Caucus, HokiePRIDE, and Queer Grads, Professionals, & Allies) welcome family, friends, faculty, staff, students, and the community to celebrate this special occasion.

Unlike other universities, Virginia Tech will also hold a separate graduation ceremony for student veterans. “This event is held in order to celebrate the academic accomplishments of our student veterans. Those completing their undergraduate, graduate, and PhD degrees will receive a red, white, and blue cord, acknowledging the completion of their coursework and to signify our appreciation for their service to our country,” the description for the ceremony reads.

Before anyone jumps on me for raising a subject pertaining to race and being racist I would like to have my say.

In our world we (as far as I know) all have a bias towards others , be that about size, looks, appearance, smell, etc. These bias are usually about singular people not groups.
My argument is that organisations and groups make divisions in our communities that create pidgenholes for people to be placed in like Latino, Asian disabled etc for no logical reason other than their own desires and wishes to be in charge of a group.
In the past we have seen how definition of persons has led to deaths in Rewanda, and during the WW2.
If we wish to be one people then we should not allow anyone to create separate groupings.
I am an expat in Cambodia. I am not identified as an anglo saxon expat, a caucasion expat so why do we allow our organisations like the one mentioned in the article to separate students for graduation. Don't the students attend the same lectures, tutorials and exams? Why would they not share a graduation. Is it because someone wants to create division? I believe that we are all the same under the outside coating (skin) and should be treated equal. Some of us will be lazy and expect someone to help us , some will be bullies and demand someone help us or give them things, but most will just get on with being a normal person who respects others and contributes to society.


I find the separation of graduation ceremonies divisive not something to be celebrated in groups designated by ethnicity or colour.

Separation then segregation... seems we are going backwards in our effort to be progressive