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5. To put it another way, White people, imagine going to Morehouse or Spelman and being only one of a few people who look like you. Would you feel uncomfortable at times? Would you wonder how to fit in? Would you be upset when you didn’t get invited to parties or study groups with no clear explanation why you’d been left out? You would understand what it’s like to be a Lonely Only. And at times, that isolation can be immobilizing. To the point where you might feel like maybe this Harvard degree just isn’t worth it...
6. Ultimately, this was a celebration of an accomplishment. Although Harvard was integrated, going to Harvard wasn’t even a conceivable option for my parents who grew up in segregation (which was only 1-2 generations ago, in case you forgot). The fact that these kids did what their grandparents couldn’t is an achievement. Let them have their moment.

4. I think some of you don’t understand how hard it is to get into these Ivy League/caliber institutions - and then graduate - as a person of color. Although the top 10 do a ‘pretty good’ job at having a balanced class, POCs are still VERY much in the minority. It’s tough going to one of the hardest schools in the WORLD with the brightest people in the WORLD and having very few people who look like you or share similar life experiences to connect with so you have the support to make it through.

Okay. I normally try to stay out of racial/political conversations on here. But as a Black Funsubster with undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford, I will speak to this directly and personally:
1. The ceremony was held in addition to, not separate from, the actual ceremony.
2. They were celebrating their triumph over the negative, intergenerational effects caused by slavery and the Black diaspora, not celebrating slavery itself.
3. Having graduated from Stanford - twice - I know firsthand that it’s not uncommon for clubs and groups (not necessarily racial) to have their own ‘celebrations’ after the ceremony. Yes, a separate graduation ceremony is uncommon. But the fact that the university recognized its history with slavery and did something to acknowledge those students’ achievement in spite of it was a very generous gesture.