On Friday, April 5, the Rainbow Center hosted its annual Lavender Graduation, which celebrates the academic success of queer and gender-diverse students at the University of Connecticut.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, Dr. Ronni Sanlo, a Jewish lesbian who was denied the opportunity to attend the graduations of her biological children because of her sexual orientation, created the first Lavender Graduation with the help of the University of Michigan dean of students.
According to Ian Shick, the assistant director of the Rainbow Center, about 75 people attended the Lavender Graduation. Approximately 30 to 35 graduates and 40 to 45 non-graduates were invited. Shick also said, “People should celebrate this, no matter if they’re out or not.”
Graduate assistant of the Rainbow Center, Lene Reynolds, gave the land acknowledgment and introduced the Director of the Rainbow Center, Kelsey O’Neil.
O’Neil said that there were “Only three graduates that year” when referring to the first Lavender Graduation. They then explained the significance of the color lavender, saying it’s a combination of the pink triangle used by the Nazis to symbolize gay men and the black triangle that the Nazis used to symbolize how lesbian women were political prisoners. The hope was that the Lavender Graduation could make a positive despite the oppression queer and transgender people face.
UConn has celebrated an annual Lavender Graduation since 2008 according to O’Neil. They then welcomed the Director of the African American Cultural Center Alicia McKenzie to the stage.
I hope that tonight brings you a sense of completeness,
Alicia McKenzie, Director of the African American Cultural Center
“I hope that tonight brings you a sense of completeness,” she said.
Shick explained how their motivation to work is their passion in their community and finishing college. They encouraged the audience to “Be the queerest you, the transest you, be you.”
The keynote speech was given by Nishelli Ahmed, the program manager of mental health & health equity initiatives at UConn’s Student Health and Wellness. She said, “I wanted to tell you all about my tumultuous experience as a queer Muslim,” promising that the end of the keynote would relate to the audience.
Ahmed acknowledged how she used to live in Florida and how scary it is to live there as a queer person. She also said that English was her second language, saying that she lost her accent after a while. She said, “There is a back and forth between a child of immigrants and their parents” when it comes to the multiple cultures they are exposed to and which ones to identify with. She tried to understand Islam, attending Sunday school and learning Arabic before having an Islamophobic phase for a while. Luckily, a friend snapped her out of her hatred that seemed to be self-loathing.
Ahmed then read “We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir” by Samra Habib, which helped her feel seen. She said how, “chosen families are a cornerstone of queer culture as blood families may not accept them. The fact that you can create a community for yourself is beautiful.” She then talked about how difficult college has become both academically and financially, how society tells us we need to go to college to be successful, and how marginalized groups have it incredibly difficult as students. Nearing the end of her speech, she said, “When you chose a chosen family, you chose yourself.”
Rilee Roldan, an eighth-semester fine arts major, was gifted the “Shining Star at the UConn Rainbow Center” award for his positivity and welcoming attitude. The “Outstanding UConn Undergraduate Student Leader” award went to two recipients: Nell Srinath, the opinion editor of The Daily Campus and chair of UNCHAIN and Justin Christie, president of UConn’s Black Queer Student Association. Dr. Laura Donorfio, an associate professor in the human development and family studies department at UConn, won the “Outstanding UConn Professional or UConn Staff Member” award.
The graduates had their names called and were given certificates and lavender stoles while slides with their names, pictures, majors and minors were displayed. There was a reception at the Rainbow Center after the ceremony.