Around the country, students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are taking the call to resist very seriously. On Wednesday at Bethune-Cookman University they let Betsy DeVos know that she was not at all welcome at their commencement ceremony. And on Friday at Texas Southern University, they fought to have a commencement speech by Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn cancelled after an outcry and submitting a petition with 846 signatures to university administrators.
Cornyn had been set to speak at the historically black university on Saturday. The university said in a statement that it has asked Cornyn "to instead visit with our students again at a future date in order to keep the focus on graduates and their families."
"We, along with Senator Cornyn, agree that the primary focus of commencement should be a celebration of academic achievement," the statement said.
It boggles the mind why on Earth these administrators think it’s at all appropriate to invite speakers who represent nothing but harm to these specific populations to give commencement addresses at these schools. After all, these events are supposed to represent a celebratory time in these students' lives. It is customary to have speakers who can give inspirational advice to graduates. At the very least, they can try to find ones who aren’t actively hostile toward them. Cornyn is not exactly known for advocating for policies that are helpful for people of color.
Cornyn's planned appearance had been generating pushback. A petition on Change.org had generated 846 signatures. The petition said, "Having a politician such as him speak at our institution is an insult to the students, to TSU, and to all [historically black colleges and universities]."
The petition cited Cornyn's votes to confirm two of President Donald Trump's cabinet appointees — Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. It also raised complaints about Cornyn's support for voter ID laws and efforts to block funding for "sanctuary cities."
"This is our graduation. We have the right to decide if we want to refuse to sit and listen to the words of a politician who chooses to use his political power in ways that continually harm marginalized and oppressed people," the petition said.
They are absolutely right. It is their graduation and they should not be subjected to being political pawns in someone’s sick game. It is beyond shameful that whoever is in charge at these schools does not have the best interests of the students in mind at all. They seem to be willing to trade values and integrity for promises of funding and proximity to power.
But the students refuse to be compromised. They are persisting anyway. They are organizing and winning. This generation should give us all hope.