With less than two weeks until Howard University’s 156th Commencement, the Office of Intercultural Affairs and LGBTQ+ Resource Center hosted a Lavender Graduation to honor LGBTQ+ seniors in the Blackburn Lounge Room to celebrate 25 graduates.  

“Today, as we gather to celebrate the achievements of our graduating seniors, we stand a pivotal moment in history. We’re not just honoring academic accomplishments, we’re also commemorating resilience, courage, and the feisty spirit of each of our graduating seniors here at Howard University,” said A.J. King, director of the center.  

Majority of the members were from Howard’s largest LGBTQ+ student group, formerly known as CASCADE. Naya Blakely, one of the seniors honored on the night, said the strong presence of LGBTQ+ student community members helped her truly soar during her time at Howard. “CASCADE was that bridge between my queerness and my Blackness,” she said. 

Blakely will depart The Mecca with two bachelor’s degrees in political science and psychology.  

“I wish I got the four years but it just forced me to make everything more meaningful, impactful, and powerful, and I think it means a lot for me to be able to graduate specifically as a Black queer woman and having a support system,” said Blakely, who plans on becoming a paralegal and attending law school .  

Splashes of lavender adorned the room as guests enjoyed evening refreshments and a photo booth. Small fabric bags filled with lavender served as party favors. The honorees were graced with lavender and black cords as a tribute to their intersectional Black queer identities.  

Lavender, associated with tranquility and peace in the larger society, takes different form of reclamation in the queer community. 

“It is a combination of the pink triangle gay men were forced to wear in concentration camps and the black triangle designated for lesbians as political prisoners,” King said. “It is a visible reminder of the LGBTQIA+ community resilience, solidarity, and pride.”  

Co-hosts and fellow students Joshua John-Lewis and John Kendrick led the event, expressing their own celebratory remarks for the graduating seniors. Sophomore and CASCADE member Daquan Cooley performed the ballad “Grow As We Go” by Ben Platt. Cooley, this year’s Mr. College of Fine Arts, said the event is a testament to Howard’s intentionality with gathering the queer community. 

“This is my second Lavender Graduation...it was very heartwarming just to see the growth with the amount of people that came and showed up to not only get recognized, but the people who support them as well,” said Cooley. “The resource center’s offerings are becoming more and more visible and that really means a lot because this means the work is paying off.”  

Howard University Student Association (HUSA) Vice President Jay Jones served as the keynote speaker of the Lavender Graduation. Next year, Jones will lead as president of HUSA, making her the first trans woman to serve in the role in Howard’s 157-year history. 

“The Class of 2024 was the village that ushered in a new era of Howard University, one filled with inclusivity, diversity, acceptance, and the ending of generational traditions that were both harmful and divisive,” she said. 

Jones celebrated the community that the Class of 2024 created after they endured the abrupt halt in their traditional high school graduates and the virtual learning during freshman year. 

She congratulated the students’ resilience on still creating their Bison experience and taking the extra step to find fellow queer Bison to gather their community. “As you embark on your post-grad journeys, remember this simple quote by Greg Logans, ‘I’m a firm believer that you don’t achieve greatness on your own, there is always someone there to lift you a hand’,” Jones said.  

“May you never forget the power of you all’s village...I want you to look at your fellow classmates and remember the village that supports you and will continue to pour into you.” 

To conclude the ceremony, the 25 graduates received their cords and shared their post-graduation plans. Honorees shared their plans of necessary gap years, continuing higher education in architecture, and dreams of entering numerous film festivals.  

Graduate Stephen P. Octable will enter the Air Force and spend three years in Italy. 

A member of the University’s ROTC program, Octable highlighted that his multifaceted experience and energy of The Yard is unmatched and will be missed. He will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminology.  

“This being an open Black space, that’s what makes the community just pop out,” Octable said. “Our first year on campus there were just a lot of events back-to-back solely for ‘the girls, gays, and theys,’ and Howard University brought that sense of intersectionality.”