No, this isn't an act of segregation, but rather appreciation.

To graduate from Harvard is an amazing thing for any student, but we know all too well that we have to work twice as hard to get half as much. That's why black students of the class of 2017 have decided celebrate themselves with an individual ceremony. This ceremony will be the first of it's kind.

The purpose of the event is to acknowledge the resilience and struggles of Black students in higher education.

Michael Huggins, who will be graduating with a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, told The Root. “This is an opportunity to celebrate Harvard’s black excellence and black brilliance. It’s an event where we can see each other and our parents and family can see us as a collective, whole group. A community." 

“This is not about segregation,” Huggins adds. “It’s about fellowship and building a community. This is a chance to reaffirm for each other that we enter the work world with a network of supporters standing with us. We are all partners."

With everything that black students face, especially on college campuses, the ceremony comes at a great time. So far, more than 125 students have registered to participate in the ceremony, which will focus on graduate students. The students also managed to raise more than $27,000 to pay for the ceremony and the reception. The hopes of the event organizers are to expand to include undergraduates next year.

The students will still participate in the main commencement ceremony as well.

Huggins continues, “the students are excited and have put a lot of work into this. Too often at Harvard, there is not cross-discipline contact between Black students. So it can feel like you are the only person of color. At this graduation, we can show each other and the administration that we are here, we are strong and we are not going away.”

What do you think about the ceremony? Let us know in the comments below.