Photo Credit: Ryan Doan-Nguyen (College '25)
PLEASE GIVE AND SHARE THE DONATION LINK WIDELY:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/help-save-the-harvard-2025-apida-affinity-celebration
For the past three years, Harvard has coordinated affinity celebrations for different student groups, including Asian, Jewish, Arab, Latinx, Black, LGBTQ+, disabled, Indigenous, veteran, and first-generation students. These events provide a much-needed space for community, joy, and celebration for groups that historically, were not even allowed a place at Harvard. Affinity celebrations have always supplemented the main commencement activities; they are not separate or exclusionary. In addition, they are one of the few events at Harvard that bring together students from all of Harvard's 13 schools. In fact, more than 1100 new graduates and families attended last year's AAPI affinity celebration.
Despite the positive and powerful nature of these events, Harvard announced unexpectedly last week that they will no longer fund or directly support affinity celebrations, in response to demands in a letter from the US Department of Education.
H4A wants to fill this emergency gap. We believe it is incumbent on our alumni to keep this tradition going for this year's AAPI graduates and for future classes. Our collective leadership and our voices matter in moments like these.
Can you help us save this important tradition? If we raise $20,000 USD, we will be able to host an affinity celebration at a location near campus and provide special stoles for approximately 1000 AAPI Harvard university graduates to wear at commencement (stoles would be the same ones featured in this photo from last year's affinity celebration, above; photo credit: Ryan Doan-Nguyen, College '25).
We have mobilized a coalition of current students and alumni across schools to organize a celebration and make this happen. You can support with your dollars. If every H4A member gave $5 right now, we would reach our goal. Let's lift our community up and save the Harvard AAPI affinity celebration!
PLEASE GIVE AND SHARE THE DONATION LINK WIDELY:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/help-save-the-harvard-2025-apida-affinity-celebration
IF YOU KNOW A GRADUATING STUDENT, PLEASE SHARE THE STOLE ORDER FORM/AFFINITY CELEBRATION INTEREST FORM HERE:
https://forms.gle/98w7nabQS7SJxjHH8