Opinion Piece in College Newspaper: Eliminate Gender- and Ethnicity-Based Graduation Ceremonies

CSU East Bay’s newspaper The Pioneer published my op-ed, taking it upon themselves to insert an incorrect title. What follows is not a proposal to combine graduation ceremonies, but to eliminate all non merit-based graduation ceremonies, including those specifically reserved for LGBT people, Latinos, African-Americans, Whites, and so on.

CSU East Bay will host a total of five commencement ceremonies for 2015 graduates. The nature of these various ceremonies represents a catastrophic leap backwards in social progress.

Sadly, none of us is quite old enough to remember a time in America and in higher education in particular when success wasn’t color-coded and what mattered wasn’t between your legs or woven into your pigment.

In the real world, you don’t get brownie points for being Black, white, Mexican, gay, straight, male, or female. Glass ceilings are quietly shattered every day by individuals who practice honesty, pursue intelligence, and promote integrity.”

Read the rest here.