哈佛大学将于今年首办黑人学生毕业典礼

Harvard University will hold a graduation cereMony exclusively for its black Student population on 23 May.

哈佛大学将于5月23日专门为黑人学生举行一次毕业典礼。

More than 170 students and 530 guests have signed up to attend the Black Commencement event, the first university wide ceremony for black students.

共有超过170名学生和530名嘉宾报名参加了此次“黑色毕业典礼”，这是首个专为黑人学生举行的大学校园盛典。

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.

组织者表示，此次盛典是为了庆祝“团结”而非“种族隔离”，尤其为了表扬某学院的黑人学生在奴隶制历史关系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."

迈克尔·哈金斯是一名即将于本月底取得哈佛肯尼迪学院国家政策专业硕士学位的学生，他在接受《The Root》采访时表示，此次盛典是“一次祝贺哈佛黑人英才和黑人才华的契机。”

He stressed that the event is not about segregation but about "building a community."

他强调，此次盛典不是为了种族隔离，而是为了“建设一个社会共同体。”

"This is a chance to reaffirm for each other that we enter the work world with. We are all partners," he said.

他说道：“这是一个重新肯定彼此的契机，我们即将踏上工作岗位。我们都是同伴。”

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.

该庆典将包括学生们关于哈佛大学经历的演讲以及音乐表演。所有毕业生都会收到一条用肯特布做成的围巾，他们将会把这条代表着他们非洲遗留文化的围巾戴在他们的毕业袍外面。

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，仅有7595名黑人学生取得哈佛学位，比例仅为5%。哈佛研究生联盟的新任主席吉利安·西蒙斯向《波士顿环球报》透露，这次的庆典不仅仅是庆祝成功，同时也是对过去的回顾。