Chicano Latino Graduation Ceremony

The ceremony truly began at 1 PM at St Joseph’s Church. This mass is very important for the seniors, because it’s a time to thank God for having gotten to the place where they are now, and ask him for strength for the road ahead. They gathered in the front steps wearing their billowing robes of red and yellow. Though it was bright and sunny outside, the glass windows gave a darkened and solemn feel inside the parish.

Then the priest, Father Crespin, walks out and two by two, the grinning seniors walked down the aisle. They were seated with girls in yellow on the left, the boys in red on the right. The father acknowledges the seniors and congratulates the parents. That it’s an important moment, he says, an important moment for the family. He first speaks his message in English, and then repeats it in Spanish. One of the graduates stands up and walks to the stand to read the first lecture.

Later, the preacher spoke, telling the graduates that anything worthwhile comes from hard work and discipline. The father stated that the people from Latin America are underrepresented in the job market, colleges, universities, and even in a high school graduating class, and that we need people who can understand others both linguistically and culturally. A couple of prayers later, the priest asked the graduates to get up to eat sacrament. In the end, the girls and boys, now men and women, all stood up together as one unifying body, and one by one call out what school they are going to. Finally, they all walked out of the church.

The graduation itself took place at Berkeley High’s Little Theater.
The ceremony takes place there instead of somewhere else like the other graduations because “this is our school, so why shouldn’t we? We want to show them that Chicanos can graduate, and that we do”, according to one of the coordinators, Yvonne Arellano, senior. Out of the 104 Latino seniors graduating, only 70 went to the Chicano/Latino graduation. Many were unable to attend because of the SSJE graduation occurring on the same day.

There was a lot of interesting entertainment, like the Aztec dancers with powerful drums, the flamenco dancer with her rippling moves, the singers, Principal Jim Slemp’s speech, and finally, the main event, the handing out of the diplomas. As every name was called out, proud parents took pictures and videos, thereby almost ending the high school career.

Photos:

• Chicano Latino Graduation (courtesy of Mark Coplan)