As Harvard graduates gathered on Thursday to embrace commencement rituals in Harvard Yard, they were surrounded by both beaming parents and visible reminders that the university is embroiled in an existential fight with the Trump administration.
Before the ceremony, about two dozen people gathered in Harvard Square with signs protesting the government and its attacks on the university. In a separate protest, targeting campus antisemitism, a truck passed near the ceremony and displayed photos of individuals labeled “Harvard’s Leading AntiSemites.”
And throughout the morning, small groups of alumni stood at each gate to campus, handing out stickers that read “Crimson Courage,” the name of a new alumni group created to galvanize support for the university.
Mark Dyen, who graduated from Harvard in 1970, said that he has never been prouder to be an alumnus. “Harvard stood up for itself, for us, for higher education and democracy,” he said as he passed out stickers. “And by doing so, it created space for people who are more vulnerable.”
The day of celebration came as the Trump administration continues its attempts to crack down on the university, a broad campaign it has framed as an effort to curb antisemitism at the school. The government has already withdrawn or frozen billions of dollars in federal funding, threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and sought to block its ability to enroll international students. The university has forcefully resisted, calling the attacks a violation of academic freedom and the First Amendment.
At graduation on Thursday, about half a dozen family members of graduates, most visiting from other countries, declined to give their names to a reporter, saying that they feared retribution from the Trump administration. One, an Indian actor from Mumbai who said he was celebrating his cousin’s graduation, shook his head sadly when asked about the attacks on Harvard.
To some, the ceremonies felt like reassurance that the university’s mission would endure. “Harvard trains people who wants to change the world, to make the world a better place,” said Kwabena Fosu, who traveled from Ghana to watch his wife receive a master’s degree in public administration. “That’s what they came here to do, and that’s what they will continue to do.”
Outside the commencement, Casey Wenz, a Cambridge resident, stood in Harvard Square with a large sign that read, “Harvard Thank You for Your Courage.” She said she lives a few blocks from campus and has many friends at the university who are professors and international students.
“I think it takes tremendous courage to stand up to Trump, and if Harvard’s not going to do it, who would?” she said. “I’m just super grateful.”
Jenna Russell is the lead reporter covering New England for The Times. She is based near Boston.
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