A photograph of students involved in the UNT branch of BSE, Black Student Experience. They are standing together in the Library Mall by the fountain and are putting their hands together in the middle of a circle.

A photograph of the instructor speaking at a self defense course at UNT. The event was hosted by the Multicultural Center. She is standing in front of a white board and the participants are seated on the floor and on chairs in front of her.

A photograph of one of the instructors running a drill at a self defense course at UNT. The event was hosted by the Multicultural Center. The instructor is holding a practice pad while the participant knees it.

A photograph of the participants of the self defense class standing together for a photo. They are all in a line and the trainers are standing with them. They are all wearing comfortable clothing to practice in.

A photograph of people gathered at a self defense course at UNT. The event was hosted by the Multicultural Center. The teachers are standing on the opposite side of the circle and the class is gathered in a semi-circle facing them.

A photograph of a man demonstrating how to disarm someone holding a gun with a participant in a self defense course at UNT. It was hosted by the multicultural center on campus. He is standing and holding a fake gun to show those gathered how to hold it and practice disarming.

A photograph of one of the instructors leading participants at a self defense course at UNT. The event was hosted by the Multicultural Center. She is standing in front of the lined up participants and is demonstrating a defensive move for them.

A photograph of participants and instructors a self defense course at UNT. The event was hosted by the Multicultural Center. One of the participants is putting her hands to the instructor's shoulder and is preparing to bring up her knee. The instructor has a bracing pad ready.

A photograph of the instructor speaking at a self defense course at UNT. The event was hosted by the Multicultural Center. He is standing in the practice room and the other instructor is standing at the side of the room.

A photograph of a student speaking during the UNT Multicultural Center's La Raza ceremony. She is wearing her green regalia with her new stole and is standing on the stage. There is a microphone in front of her and seated faculty, a podium, and a projection screen behind her.

Photograph of "One Day Without Shoes Countdown" and other signs on a wall, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows a wall with a brown sign with white letters at the top that says "One Day Without Shoes Countdown. Under that is another brown sign with the number 0 painted on it and under that the words "Days Until." To the left of this is a long white sheet with the word TOMS at the top and a bunch of signatures signed all over it.

A photograph of a young man on stage during the UNT Multicultural Center's People of Nia ceremony. He is wearing one of the stoles for the group over a suit and is standing behind a microphone. The agenda is on the projection screen behind him.

A photograph of a student walking across the stage during the UNT Multicultural Center's La Raza ceremony. She is wearing her green regalia with her new stole and is headed towards the microphone. People are seated in a group beside the table and podium on stage. The projection screen behind them has a list of student names on it.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

A photograph of a presentation screen during the UNT Multicultural Center's People of Nia ceremony. It has an agenda list that reads "AGENDA -Welcome/History of People of Nia - Black Faculty Network, Dr. Tony Carey - Black Alumni Network, Benjamin Jackson - Presentation of Graduates - Black Student Union, President - Stephon Bradberry - Closing Remarks - Shabaz Brown". At the bottom is a silhouette of graduates throwing their caps up. Two people in regalia are also sitting beside the screen.

A photograph of a speaking in front of a presentation screen during the UNT Multicultural Center's People of Nia ceremony. It has an agenda list that reads "AGENDA -Welcome/History of People of Nia - Black Faculty Network, Dr. Tony Carey - Black Alumni Network, Benjamin Jackson - Presentation of Graduates - Black Student Union, President - Stephon Bradberry - Closing Remarks - Shabaz Brown". At the bottom is a silhouette of graduates throwing their caps up. There is a young woman in regalia standing in front of the screen with a microphone stand.

A photograph of a man speaking during the UNT Multicultural Center's People of Nia ceremony. He is wearing full regalia and is standing behind a podium on stage. There are tables set up behind him with stoles for graduating members of the People of Nia.

Photograph of the two hosts of the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The photo shows the two hosts side by side each other, the person on the right is someone with long blonde hair and wearing a dress,. On the left is a person with shorter hair and a grey long sleeve. In the background a projection with the graduation title can be seen. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds …

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

A photograph of a student walking across the stage during the UNT Multicultural Center's La Raza ceremony. She is wearing her green regalia with her new stole and is headed towards a microphone. People are seated in a group behind her and there is a table and podium behind her as well. The projection screen lists names of students who are receiving a stole at the ceremony.

A photograph of a student receiving her stole during the UNT Multicultural Center's La Raza ceremony. She is wearing her green regalia and is walking up to a man in front of the stole table as he lifts one over her head. A woman is holding the next stole and others are seated beside her.

A photograph of the man presenting a stole to a young woman on stage during the UNT Multicultural Center's People of Nia ceremony. They are standing in front of a table on the stage and are all wearing regalia.

A photograph from behind of people seated in the stands during the UNT Multicultural Center's La Raza ceremony. They are in rows of green chairs that are reserved and are all facing the stage.

A photograph of a man speaking during the UNT Multicultural Center's People of Nia ceremony. He is wearing full regalia and is standing behind a podium on stage. There are tables set up behind him with stoles for graduating members of the People of Nia.