The LEFT just loves these Palestinians waging brutal war on Israelis.
VCU graduates walk out of commencement ceremony in protest as Gov. Youngkin began keynote speech
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 heads and smiles on faces, graduates and their loved ones flocked to the Greater Richmond Convention Center Saturday morning to celebrate a major milestone.
However, when keynote speaker Governor Glenn Youngkin took the stage, those present could feel tensions rise and breaths held. Dr. Kay Coghill is an adjunct professor at VCU. Inside the leader’s mind, nerves raced, but there also rested a sense of responsibility.
“We were whispering to each other like, when are we going to do it?” Dr. Coghill said.
The leader said that since age nine, activism has coursed through their veins.
“If I didn’t do this, I would be very upset with myself,” Dr. Coghill said.
Without looking back, Coghill – alongside more than an estimated 100 other graduates, rejected the governor’s words and
walked directly out of the ceremony.
“When I stood up and turned around and saw all of those people standing up, I became emotional,” Dr. Coghill said. “I was overwhelmed with emotion.”
Protestors marched down the streets of Richmond to further share their message. This act of protest wasn’t 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 discourse from day one, but it wasn’t the only catalyst. Students challenged a stream of recent decisions made by the university.
“Using its mass communication network to call the peaceful protest for ceasefire peace in Gaza, divestment by VCU… calling that a violent protest over its mass communication network is wildly inappropriate,” one student said.
Comments from the governor in which he expressed criticism over Pro-Palestinian protests happening at universities across Virginia also sparked outrage from VCU students.
Adding to the anger directed towards the school from graduates, on Friday, the school’s Board of Visitors also
voted not to mandate racial literacy courses, thus crushing a long-term effort spearheaded by students and faculty.
“Human rights are not political,” a student yelled out after the protesters reached their destination. “Our education should not be political.”
In a statement distributed prior to the ceremony, VCU leaders emphasized that disruptions would not be tolerated. They also re-iterated that the school has had other political figures speak at graduation ceremonies in the past without issue.
Students said emotions were high throughout the protest and that they are proud of one another for standing up for what they believe in.
“VCU asks us to care for our community, to be part of our community,” a graduate said. “And that’s exactly what the students did here today. If you in the convention center, you heard President Rao talk about being skeptical about fighting for what we believe in. That’s exactly what students did here today.”
Law enforcement and security were stationed outside of the event, but there did not appear to be any significant interaction with protesters. Most graduates walked to a nearby park to celebrate together and further discuss their cause.
