Harvard Graduation Ceremony Marked by Symbols of Resistance
Standing Ovation Throughout President Garber's Welcome Address Amid Tensions with Trump Administration
The graduation ceremony at Harvard University in the United States, held amid conflicts with the Donald Trump administration, was filled with voices of resistance advocating for the protection of academic freedom, as well as symbols emphasizing solidarity with international students. Abraham Verghese, a physician and novelist who was invited as a special guest speaker at the ceremony, revealed that he himself is an immigrant and stressed that his presence on the Harvard commencement stage is a testament to the greatness of America.
The graduation ceremony at the prestigious Harvard University, held amid conflicts with the Donald Trump administration, was filled with voices of resistance advocating for the protection of academic freedom and symbols emphasizing solidarity with international students. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News
On May 29 (local time), foreign media outlets such as The New York Times reported that symbols of resistance and solidarity were found throughout the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the graduation ceremony took place that morning. The atmosphere at this year's Harvard commencement was markedly different from last year. Faculty members and students united in the face of the concentrated attacks from the Donald Trump administration that began last month, and in particular, there was a strong outpouring of support for international students whose student visas have recently been threatened.
During the ceremony, when President Alan Garber delivered his welcoming address, graduating students seated in the audience and faculty members on stage all stood up, applauded, and cheered loudly. When President Garber said, "We welcome students from all over the world, as we should," the applause grew even louder. The New York Times reported, "The applause was a show of support for his efforts to stand up to the government."
Among them, many professors showed their solidarity by wearing stickers on their academic gowns that read, "Without international students, Harvard is not Harvard." Photo by EPA and Yonhap News
Previously, Harvard was divided last year over the university's response to anti-Israel protests. At that time, the university administration notified 13 students who participated in the protests that they would not be awarded degrees, prompting backlash from some students. Amid these events, when Acting President Garber conferred diplomas, hundreds of people left the venue en masse, and some, draped in keffiyehs (scarves worn by Muslim men), shouted, "Free Palestine!" In addition, many faculty members and students voiced their support for international students.
Many professors wore stickers on their academic gowns that read, "Without international students, Harvard is not Harvard," as a gesture of unity. Some students also wore white flowers in their hair or pinned to their chests to show support for international students. The Harvard International Relations Council and International Students Association raised $500 to prepare more than 800 flowers.
Near the campus, about 20 people held placards and staged a protest calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza and an immediate ceasefire, but no significant conflicts or clashes occurred during the graduation ceremony. The New York Times noted that this contrasted with last year's commencement, when hundreds of graduates staged a mass walkout in protest of the university administration's hardline response to on-campus rallies opposing the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Harvard has been in conflict with the Trump administration after becoming the first American university to reject the administration's demands for changes to campus policies, which were justified as efforts to eradicate antisemitism. President Garber, who is Jewish, refused to accept the government's demands, stating that they infringed on academic freedom. Subsequently, the Trump administration escalated the conflict by suspending federal funding and attempting to prevent the enrollment of international students.
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