In response to the March 14 Our View titled “Celebration example of self-stratification.” I feel that am very fortunate to work at a university that celebrates all forms of diversity.
Cultural graduation celebrations like the African American Graduation, Latina(o) Graduation, Lavender Graduation and Pinoy Graduation are cultural events that can benefit students of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, as well as students who seek to learn more about these cultures.
It is acknowledged that students at different stages of racial or LGBT identity development will have different cultural needs. For some, it is very important to have cultural identities explicitly acknowledged in a graduation celebration.
While some may reject cultural graduation ceremonies as unnecessary or divisive, others find such celebrations deeply meaningful and integral to their academic and social success. There has always been room at CSULB for differences of opinion and mutual respect. I hope that open dialogues such as these can lead to greater understanding and appreciation of differences.
– Kirstyn Yuk Sim Chun, Psy.D, LGBT Resource Center Faculty Advisor, CAPS Staff Psychologist
