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Thousands of graduates dressed in black gowns, duck suits and pool floaties among other unique getups poured into the Stanford stadium Sunday morning. The crowd of students cheered and waved to the auidence, searching for family members and friends.
Among them, Stanford graduates waved Palestinian flags and held up signs reading, “Ceasefire now,” and “Stanford funds genocide.”
Midway through the Stanford graduation, hundreds of students walked out to attend the People’s Commencement, an alternative ceremony to support divestment and honor Palestine.
During a speech from Stanford President Richard Saller, acknowledging a difficult four years facing COVID-19 and “war,” students stood up and exited the stadium. As the crowd erupted in applause, Saller only raised his voice.
The crowd reconvened at Ueland Field where faculty and other figures stood behind a podium draped with a Palestinian flag, to speak about the war in Gaza and students’ activism throughout the year.
“How can we celebrate graduation as usual when our education comes at the expense of Palestinian education and Palestinian lives,” read an invitation to the alternative graduation posted by Stanford Against Apartheid in Palestine, a student-led initiative fighting for divestment.