RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) graduation ceremony was filled with more than just ‘pomp and circumstance’ on Saturday, May 11. With caps on their heads and smiles on their faces, graduates and their loved ones flocked to the Greater Richmond Convention Center Saturday morning to celebrate a major milestone.
However, when the keynote speaker, Governor Glenn Youngkin, took the stage, those present could feel tensions rising and their breath held. Dr. Kay Coghill is an associate professor at VCU. Inside the leader’s mind, nerves were racing, but there also resided a sense of responsibility.
“We were whispering among ourselves, when are we going to do it?” Dr. Coghill said.
The leader said that since he was nine years old, activism has run through his veins.
![Graduates of VCU stage a protest and leave commencement ceremony during Gov. Youngkin’s keynote speech Graduates of VCU stage a protest and leave commencement ceremony during Gov. Youngkin’s keynote speech](https://i0.wp.com/keynoteusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Graduates-of-VCU-stage-a-protest-and-leave-commencement-ceremony.png?resize=1170%2C673&ssl=1)
“If I didn’t do this, I would be very angry with myself,” Dr. Coghill said.
Without looking back, Coghill – along with more than 100 other graduates – rejected the governor’s words and left directly from the ceremony.
“When I got up and turned around and saw all those people standing, I was excited,” Dr. Coghill said. “I was overwhelmed with emotion.”
Protesters marched through the streets of Richmond to further share their message. This act of protest was not unexpected. The university’s controversial selection of a prominent Republican political leader like Governor Youngkin to speak at a non-political event like graduation sparked talk from day one, but it was not the only catalyst. Students questioned a series of recent decisions made by the university.
“Using your mass communication network to call for a peaceful protest for a ceasefire, peace in Gaza, divestment from VCU… calling for a violent protest against your mass communication network is wildly inappropriate,” one student said.
The governor’s comments expressing criticism of the pro-Palestinian protests taking place at Virginia colleges also sparked outrage from VCU students.
Adding to the anger directed at the school by graduates, on Friday, the school’s Board of Visitors also voted not to impose racial literacy courses crushing a long-term effort led by students and teachers.
“Human rights are not political,” one student shouted after the protesters reached their destination. “Our education should not be political.”
In a statement distributed before the ceremony, VCU leaders emphasized that disruptions would not be tolerated. They also reiterated that the school has had other political figures speak at graduation ceremonies in the past without problems.
Students said emotions ran high during the protest and that they are proud of each other for standing up for what they believe in.
“VCU asks us to take care of our community, to be part of our community,” said one graduate. “And that’s exactly what the students here did today. If you were at the convention center, you heard President Rao talk about being skeptical about fighting for what we believe. “That is exactly what the students did here today.”
Law enforcement and security forces were stationed outside the event, but there did not appear to be any significant interaction with protesters. Most of the graduates walked to a nearby park to celebrate together and further discuss their cause.
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