哈佛大學將於今年首辦黑人學生畢業典禮
Harvard University will hold a graduation ceremony exclusively for its black student population on 23 May.
哈佛大學將於5月23日專門爲黑人學生舉行一次畢業典禮。More than 170 students and 530 guests have signed up to attend the Black Commencement event, the first university wide ceremony for black students.
共有超過170名學生和530名嘉賓報名參加了此次“黑色畢業典禮”，這是首個專爲黑人學生舉行的大學校園盛典。The organisers say that the event is a celebration of "fellowship" rather than "segregation" and highlights the unique achievements of black students at an institution that has grappled with its historic ties to slavery.
組織者表示，此次盛典是爲了慶祝“團結”而非“種族隔離”，尤其爲了表揚某學院的黑人學生在奴隸制歷史關係中所做出的特殊成就。
Michael Huggins, a student who will receive a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School at the end of this month, told The Root that the ceremony is "an opportunity to celebrate Harvard's black excellence and black brilliance."
邁克爾·哈金斯是一名即將於本月底取得哈佛肯尼迪學院國家政策專業碩士學位的學生，他在接受《The Root》採訪時表示，此次盛典是“一次祝賀哈佛黑人英才和黑人才華的契機。”
He stressed that the event is not about segregation but about "building a community."
他強調，此次盛典不是爲了種族隔離，而是爲了“建設一個社會共同體。”"This is a chance to reaffirm for each other that we enter the work world with. We are all partners," he said.
他說道：“這是一個重新肯定彼此的契機，我們即將踏上工作崗位。我們都是同伴。”The ceremony will include speeches from students about their experiences at Harvard and musical performances. All graduates will receive a shawl made of kente cloth, a representation of their African heritage, which they will wear over their graduation robes.
該慶典將包括學生們關於哈佛大學經歷的演講以及音樂表演。所有畢業生都會收到一條用肯特布做成的圍巾，他們將會把這條代表着他們非洲遺留文化的圍巾戴在他們的畢業袍外面。In 2015, only 5% of the 7,595 Harvard degrees went to black students. Jillian Simons, incoming chair of the Harvard Black Graduate Student Alliance, told The Boston Globe that the ceremony is a time to celebrate the success but also to reflect on the past.
2015年，僅有7595名黑人學生取得哈佛學位，比例僅爲5%。哈佛研究生聯盟的新任主席吉利安·西蒙斯向《波士頓環球報》透露，這次的慶典不僅僅是慶祝成功，同時也是對過去的回顧。
