Trump calls race-focused college graduations illegal. These students are doing them anyway

In February, the U.S. Department of Education said race-focused graduation ceremonies are a form of segregation and are illegal. It said a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on college admissions justified the position.

Around Southern California, these ceremonies are going forward anyway. But they will likely take on a different tenor.

The federal memo led some Black students at Santa Monica College to wonder if their graduation ceremony and Black Collegians Club and other programs would continue.

“Yes, we still are. There are no ifs, ands or buts. We are,” Tyler Jackson-Zeno told the students. He’s president of the Black Collegians Club and will be taking part in the Black graduation ceremony in June.

 ”Trump, at a federal level, yeah he could say what he wants, but at the same time at a state level or even at a local, city level, he [doesn’t] really have full jurisdiction,” Jackson-Zeno said.

While some legal scholars say the administration’s reasoning is off the mark, other lawyers urged colleges and universities to consider the department’s position and threats of enforcement carefully.

While educators in California have supported the growth of affinity graduation ceremonies in recent years, the targeting of these celebrations by the Trump administration is leading their supporters to take a stand to defend their importance and causing others to take steps to protect their graduating students from federal officials.

What affinity graduation ceremonies do for students

Affinity graduation ceremonies have been around for decades at some campuses and only a few years at others. They’re held in addition to traditional campus-wide ceremonies, and designed to celebrate the success of student groups from backgrounds that have not always had access to higher education.

“Back in January of 2023, we decided that we were going to host a first-ever Black student graduation here," said  Jermaine Junius, a Santa Monica College professor and president of the Pan-African Alliance.

Last year, he said, about a hundred students took part in the college’s Black student graduation celebration, about one-fourth of the number of Black students who petitioned to graduate. He expects more to take part this year.

“It was extremely successful," he said. "The students felt seen and supported. Their families got the opportunity to come out and engage in the program and the event. And it's become one of the most important equity programs that the campus is offering."

Weeks after the Department of Education letter, some California educators rallied around race-focused programs in higher education, including affinity graduations.

“In California we have the backing of the Legislature and the governor vis-a-vis their funding allocations to do these types of affinity graduations,” said San Diego State University education researcher Eric Felix.

Organizers of these ceremonies tell LAist the U.S. Department of Education is wrong when it said the ceremonies segregate students.

“We always make it a point for us to include everyone. ... This is a multiracial ceremony. We are inclusive to everyone. Anyone that wants to participate can,” said Sebastian Manrique, a graduating senior at UC Santa Barbara and co-chair of the university’s Comunidad Latinx Graduación.

The ceremonies, Felix said, are places for supporters who don’t share the identity to take part as allies.

More urgent concerns among college grads who are undocumented

The federal scrutiny of affinity graduations is having a different effect among participants and organizers of ceremonies for college graduates who are undocumented.

A professor at a local California State University campus told LAist that organizers are concerned that immigration officials will show up at their ceremony.

A local community college group decided to try not to attract unwanted attention.

“I decided to change the name of our event after consulting with multiple students,” Iveth Díaz said by email. She’s the Cerritos College Program Facilitator for the UndocuFalcon Scholars Program.

Last year the ceremony was called Undocu Graduation Celebration. This year it will be called Monarch Celebration. That’s a reference to the monarch butterfly, a symbol taken up by immigrant rights activists.

“The truth is that our students are scared, and just like many other campuses, we do not wish to shine any unnecessary attention to our community and respect their wishes,” Díaz said.

The event will be open only to people who pre-register.

“I'm used to this sort of being hateful toward my community. I've just like become numb to this sort of hatred,” said Jose, a graduating student at Cerritos College. He asked that only his first name be used because he’s worried about attracting the attention of immigration officials.

A day of respite and recognition

"Why would I shy away now?" asks Victoria Abansado of LMU. The graduating senior says she won't let Trump administration policies scare her.

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Carlin Stiehl

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LAist

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There's little indication that California college officials are putting any kinds of limitations on these ceremonies, despite pressure from the White House.

That may give graduates some breathing room.

“Every student deserves the right to celebrate without fear, without anxiety, to just really enjoy this moment,” said Juan Mah y Busch, a professor at Loyola Marymount University who’s helping organize this year’s Latino grad ceremony, called Día de Reconocimiento, or Day of Recognition.

" I feel more proud than ever to be a part of these ceremonies,” said LMU graduating senior Victoria Abansado. Her parents are from Mexico and the Philippines, so she’s taking part in two affinity graduations.

Trump’s policies are "not going to scare me. ... Why would I shy away now? I feel like my involvement in showing my identity and being proud of that is more important than ever,” she said.

Ceremony organizers hope the celebrations are both a capstone of students’ college education and a positive beginning of life after college.