大学黑人毕业生庆祝社区团结

Eunice Iretijesu Aworanti (Sargent’19) is draped with a kente stole, a symbol of African pride, by her honored guest at Umoja’s Rite of Passage ceremony May 17.

When 脸谱网 executive 安东尼•哈里森 arrived on BU’s campus nearly 40 years ago as a first-generation college student from Queens, he became part of a group of close-knit friends. And he found community again in his career, whether it was the middle-aged woman who took him under her wing at work or the colleague who showed him how to navigate the workplace as a gay man “before it was cool.”

In a speech on Thursday at BU’s Rite of Passage ceremony, sponsored by Umoja, BU’s black student union, Harrison (COM’81) urged BU’s black graduates to embark on a quest to find their authentic selves with fearlessness, curiosity, and openness to others.

“I am who I am because of the many people in the many communities I belong to,” Harrison told them. “Find the people who lift you up, but keep it real.”

Harrison’s keynote address in Jacob Sleeper Auditorium capped a ceremony that honored the accomplishments of more than 85 black students in the Class of 2019. 300多人参加了仪式。 The event theme: “Ubuntu,” a South African word often translated as “I am because we are.”

And it was the “we” that shined at the event. 即将毕业的高年级学生被一个个地叫到舞台上，接受从家人或朋友那里偷来的肯特。 The colorfully woven stoles are a symbol of graduates’ pride in their African heritage, and they accepted them from teary parents, relatives, and friends. One woman received her stole from her young daughter, another was given hers by Kenneth Elmore (Wheelock ’87), associate provost and dean of students.

“This is what black joy feels like,” said senior speaker Jordan Exum (COM’19). “Always remember this moment.”

Many said sharing the experience of being a black student at BU, which is predominantly white—black students comprise 占去年新生总数的6%—helped them build a sense of community and feel less isolated on campus, even though many are from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Featured speaker Jonathan L. Allen (LAW’19) said BU had given them a community of lifelong friends that together would continue to make them stronger. 为了鼓励学生成为变革者，艾伦还在一片欢呼声中宣布，他将在今年秋天竞选波士顿市议会议员。

“T在这里 has never been a time greater than now to make a difference in the world,” he said. “Our reach is unlimited.”

特邀演讲者乔纳森·l·艾伦（LAW ' 19）宣布，他将在秋季竞选波士顿市议会。

This year’s ceremony was the second annual Rite of Passage. Last year, BU’s first-ever Rhodes Scholar and former University trustee Richard L. Taylor (COM’71) spoke on the heels of the smash movie 黑豹 about BU’s long tradition of diversity. He invoked the memory of BU’s first president, William Fairfield Warren, who in 1874 predicted that universities would someday admit “all comers, without respect to creed or race or sex,” and the late Howard Thurman (Hon.’67), the first black dean at a predominantly white US university when he was appointed dean of Marsh Chapel in 1953.

Umoja的主席Donavon Young （CAS ' 19）说，这个组织的名字来自斯瓦希里语中的团结一词，它帮助黑人学生在波士顿大学的各个学院之间建立联系，为那些以前生活在黑人社区或就读于黑人高中的学生建立一种社区意识。 会员资格是自愿的。

杨说：“我们想让有色人种的学生、被边缘化的学生参加这个仪式。” “这是关于能够享受那些友谊，那些关系。”

哈里森说，当他看到礼堂里的“黑魔法”时，他充满了希望。 The event’s theme of Ubuntu is a principle that has guided much of his life, he said. 他拥有公共关系学位，曾在威瑞森、纽约时报公司、星巴克、迪士尼和微软担任高级职位。

“我做过一些有趣的事情，但这只是我故事的一部分，”他说，并指出他嫁给了一个男人，有一个“让我谦虚”的家庭。 他回忆起大学时期住在丹尼森大厅（Danielsen Hall）的通宵舞会，以及在他感到挫败时帮助他振作起来、激励他保持专注的波士顿大学教授。

“只要有机会，我就想为别人做这件事，”他说。 “如果你不记得我说的任何一句话，听我说：从现在开始，互相帮助，帮助你在社区里遇到的每一个人变得更好。”

在活动结束后的招待会上，学生们说，哈里森的信息引起了他们的共鸣。他们指出，社会在消除歧视方面面临着重大挑战，包括黑人的监禁率高于白人，警察对黑人的暴力，以及美国新近兴起的白人民族主义运动。

波士顿大学的成人礼仪式由黑人学生会Umoja赞助，是对学生成就的庆祝。

但这一天是为了庆祝坚持不懈和成就所带来的骄傲，商科专业的quubel Asefa （Questrom ' 19）说。

“We go through a lot of things people don’t necessarily see, and t在这里’s a sense of appreciation 在这里 for what we go through,” Asefa said, looking around at the sea of red graduation robes. “For me, personally, it feels really good.”

Computer science major Jade Sessions (CAS’19) said she couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate her degree and move into the next phase of her life. 她很快将在曼哈顿的高盛（Goldman Sachs）开始一份全职软件工程师的工作。

“It’s hard to navigate private white institutions, and it’s tougher to navigate them as a black woman,” Sessions said. 然后她笑了。 “But I’ve accomplished most of my goals, so this is a joyous space.”

Find more 毕业典礼 coverage 在这里.

梅根Woolhouse can be reached at megwj@bu.edu.