Twitter A screenshot from the UF graduation 2018.
African-American graduates were dragged/yanked off stage by a university official during the University of Florida’s 2018 graduation ceremony. You can watch videos and see photos of the behavior below, which is sparking anger on social media and elsewhere.
The black students were each dancing on stage when the unnamed white UF official pulled them off one-by-one. Watch:
The university’s president has apologized for the situation. W. Kent Fuchs, the university’s president, issued a statement on Twitter that read, “During one of this weekend’s commencement ceremonies, we were inappropriately aggressive in rushing students across the stage. I personally apologize, and am reaching out to the students involved. The practice has been halted for all future ceremonies, and we will work to make sure all graduating students know we are proud of their achievements and celebrate with them their graduation.”
Videos were also posted on Facebook.
People expressed shock as they watched the behavior unfold on the jumbotron during the 2018 graduation. One man wrote on Twitter, “Somebody please find out this employee’s name!! Every time a Black student took more than TWO seconds, he aggressively pushed them. Watch it for yourself. #ItsGreatUF.”
UF Twitter 🗣🗣
Somebody please find out this employee’s name!! Every time a Black student took more than TWO seconds, he aggressively pushed them. Watch it for yourself. #ItsGreatUF
The university wrote on Twitter, “The University is proud of the achievements of every single one of our graduates and regrets that any celebration of the day may have been diminished by those monitoring a graduation ceremony.” The name of the man who was dragging students off stage has not been released by the university. News4Jax identified him as a university employee but also didn’t name the man.
Heavy has contacted university relations for UF and asked for the employee’s name and title. This article will be updated if/when it is obtained.
Here’s another view of the situation:
Some people called for the man to be fired for his actions.
“Almost fell when he pushed me,” wrote another Twitter user. She also wrote, “This whole situation makes me sad. But no one gives af apparently. The system will hold you down even when it’s your time to shine.” A professor responded to that woman’s tweet by writing, “Really, this is just messed up…my favorite part of graduation is people so full of joy it literally dances out of them. Congratulations on the milestone.”
Another student wrote, “They are body slamming people as they walk across the stage. I’m overwhelmed.”
Screenshots from videos of the behavior circulated on Twitter. Another student wrote, “Graduation at @UF is the worst experience. Busted my ass to graduate with highest honors and they couldn’t even make time to say my middle name, which carries family legacy. My parents just barely got a photo of me on stage. Has never and will never be about the students.”
This is funny President Fuchs? @PresidentFuchs
Zachariah Chou, a University of Florida student, has posted an archive of photos from the graduation ceremony if you want to look through them.
Others also felt the man should resign. “One of the graduation marshalls at the University of Florida is taped pushing several black students as they tried to cross the stage at graduation ceremonies this weekend. I am not sure who this employee is, but I plan to write the university’s President and demand that the marshall is relieved of his position immediately,” wrote one man on Facebook after seeing the videos.
“The strolling/dancing they were doing was an expression of their excitement for this day and that was ruined because of selfishness. It was disrespectful and rude that you did not allow them to do that,” wrote another person on Twitter.