Bay Area universities celebrate affinity graduations despite Trump DEI ban ...Middle East

As universities across the country cancel cultural graduation ceremonies to comply with the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, Bay Area schools have refused to follow suit.

Stanford, UC Berkeley and other colleges across the region are moving forward this spring with longstanding cultural commencement ceremonies, also known as affinity graduations. The ceremonies may be optional, but they celebrate real achievement by students who share a specific identity, including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or nationality.

Wahhab Salemi, a senior political science major and student speaker at the Asian and Pacific Islander Commencement Celebration at San Jose State University, said its disheartening the Trump administration has targeted affinity graduation ceremonies, but the fact that students and schools are still holding them is a testament to the strength of the cultural communities.

“The Asian and Pacific Islander commencement is more than just a ceremony. It’s an affirmation of identity, community and belonging,” Salemi said. “As an Afghan American and first-generation student, I’ve had to navigate spaces where people like me weren’t always reflected. The celebration is about honoring that journey and also the journey of my family.”

The universities’ decisions comes as schools like Harvard University, the University of Kentucky and a handful of Arizona community colleges have moved away from cultural and special interest convocations to comply with the federal government’s directive to ban any diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices.

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In February, the Trump administration warned K-12 schools and universities to discontinue race-based practices and dismantle diversity programs or risk losing federal funding.

The administration described “school-sponsored or school-endorsed” graduation ceremonies that separate students based on race or allow one race but not another to participate “segregationist activities” and “legally indefensible.”

But Washington, D.C.-based education lawyer Scott Goldschmidt pointed out there is a difference between racially exclusive and racially affiliated graduations and schools have been careful to make it clear that ceremonies are open to all students, regardless of race.

Bradley Flynn, a Philadelphia-based education lawyer, said affinity graduations are a protected First Amendment right, since students have a constitutional right to free expression and assembly.

“The idea is to celebrate the educational achievements of classes of people who have been marginalized in some way from society and in particular from education,” Flynn said.

Bay Area universities point out that while cultural commencement celebrations are designed to honor the diversity of graduates and celebrate their accomplishments, participation is voluntary and open to all students, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or national origin. Schools said the celebrations are held in addition to campus-wide commencement ceremonies and are not degree-confering ceremonies.

San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State University are all moving forward with affinity graduation ceremonies.

UC Berkeley said the school is continuing to host affinity ceremonies because the university’s students want them, while San Francisco State said students and employees look forward to them as an opportunity to honor the diversity of the school’s graduates.

San Jose State said the university is not defying the Trump administration’s orders by holding the ceremonies but has made changes to the format of the celebrations to make them more inclusive and allow students to have more opportunities to celebrate.

They are “a great opportunity to acknowledge students’ academic achievements, honor families, communities and other significant people in their lives and to celebrate the cultural influences that have contributed to students’ academic success,” the university said in a statement.

Samantha Rodriguez, a senior political science major at San Jose State University, said participating in the university’s Chicano commencement celebration is an opportunity for her to celebrate her cultural roots, connect with her community and appreciate the sacrifices her family made for her education. Rodriguez helped plan this year’s celebration and said students will have the opportunity to bring a loved one up to walk across the stage with them.

“It’s a constant reminder of the success and the huge accomplishments and milestones we have been able to achieve despite the system not being meant for us,” Rodriguez said.

Goldschmidt, the lawyer, said any mention of race could “raise the hackles of the Trump administration.”

Flynn said while he believes affinity graduations are legal, “that doesn’t mean that the Trump administration won’t try to sanction them by doing things like removing funding. We’ve seen that threat.”

“So yes, it’s possible they could be subject to some kind of consequences,” he said, “whether it’s the federal government withholding funding or the federal government suing particular education entities to try to enforce those standards.”

And Flynn said some schools who have preemptively moved away from affinity ceremonies in an attempt to avoid a legal battle or the Trump administration’s scrutiny risk giving up their First Amendment rights to appease the federal government.

“Is it worth it? I think not,” Flynn said. “I think the costs will be great in the long run…I see a lot of harm, truthfully, coming from this. Not only setting the hand back on the clock with civil rights issues, but also what are the bigger educational ramifications for all students, all learners at all abilities?”

Salemi, the student, said affinity graduations are not only a celebration of hard work but also a call to action for students to continue fighting for more equitable and welcoming spaces in higher education.

“When I walk across that stage, I’m not just thinking about my degree,” Salemi said. “I’m thinking about my parents and grandparents who gave up everything so I could be here and I’m carrying their sacrifices with me…And as someone who hasn’t always seen their story reflected in traditional academic spaces, this moment affirms that my journey and the journey of other students matter.”

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