Pride and Heritage

Lehman Hall, part of the Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, is awash in the colors of LGBTQ+ Pride in June. As in years past, students and staff have chalked the Pride Progress Flag on the building’s steps. On May 31, the evening of the Pride Kick-off Event, Lehman was lit with rainbow colors. But although the signs are particularly visible in June, the Center’s student fellows recognize and celebrate the heritage of many different groups throughout the year.  

A Family Affair 

The Pride Month projects at Lehman Hall—collaborations between LGBTQ@GSAS, a Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Group, and Student Center fellows and staff—started during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort so impressed people throughout the Harvard community that a photo of Lehman’s nighttime rainbow hues was the first image of the University’s celebration of Pride ever shared on its social media accounts and Harvard’s Pride website. 

On June 22, the Student Center will host a Family Pride Party in partnership with the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student-Parents Group, LGBTQ@GSAS, a Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Group, and the Graduate Commons program. Community Engagement Student Center Fellow Maya Jackson looks forward to the occasion. “I’m particularly excited about organizing this LGBTQ+ pride event for families because it’s an opportunity to embrace diversity, promote inclusivity, and create a welcoming environment where everyone feels accepted and celebrated for who they are,” Jackson says. She invites the Harvard Griffin GSAS community to come and enjoy crafts, snacks, and entertainment from local drag performers. 

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Children sit down for a performance during the Family Pride Event at Harvard Griffin GSAS, June 2022.

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Jiayin Lu

Beyond Pride 

Student leaders celebrate the identities and backgrounds of other members of the School’s community throughout the year with programs that engage participants’ interests and passions: 

• Fall brings Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month. Marked in partnership with the Harvard Griffin GSAS Latinx Student Association, the month’s festivities include happy hours, movie screenings, empanada workshops, a Día de Muertxs altar, dance lessons, karaoke, a Red Sox game, and more. 
• In partnership with the Harvard University Native American Program, the Student Center celebrates Native American Heritage Month in November. Programming last year included happy hours featuring Native American-made wine and beer, a heritage meal, and an Indigenous cooking class. 
• Lunar New Year celebrations take place in February and have included calligraphy, paper cutting, and origami workshops run by the Student Center fellows. Other events include dumpling-making classes, classical Chinese dance lessons, social gatherings organized by various student groups, and an outing to the Lunar New Year Parade in Boston’s Chinatown. 
• February is also Black History Month. Last year, Student Center fellows coordinated block printing workshops with celebrated Black artist LaToya Hobbes, set up movie nights, collage-making workshops, and cooking classes, and organized a happy hour with the W.E.B. Du Bois Graduate Society of Harvard Griffin GSAS. 
• Women’s History Month in March was commemorated with events including a screening of the documentary film A Secret Love and a discussion of the changing politics of the 21st century household with author Caroline J. Smith.  
• In April, the Center supports the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Student Services and additional Harvard offices promoting Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Programs last spring included the promotion of Denim Day, yoga for restoration, love letters to survivors of sexual assault, participation in the Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night activities to end violence against women, and bystander intervention workshops. 
• May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In past years, student leaders and Center fellows have celebrated with happy hours, food making, film watching, galas, Red Sox games, concerts, and book discussions. 

[The Family Pride Event is] an opportunity to embrace diversity, promote inclusivity, and create a welcoming environment where everyone feels accepted and celebrated for who they are. 
—Student Center Fellow Maya Jackson 

Intellectual and Cultural Fellow Ziwei Gu, a second-year PhD student in computer science, was one of the moving forces behind the packed calendar of celebrations over the past year. Originally from Beijing, China, Gu is especially proud of the mix of events he helped organize last year, which included the weekly Movie Mondays series, talks from senior academics, and the much-loved pumpkin carving event last fall.  

“Thirty students gathered in the Commons at Lehman Hall, some carving pumpkins for the first time,” he remembers. “The highlight of the evening was the “pumpkin showcase” where everyone displayed their carved creations, ranging from traditional spooky faces to intricate designs like famous characters. The event brought out the artistic side of the participants and was also a nice community-building experience.” 

Above all, Gu says heritage month programming provides opportunities for students to share, learn, and grow in a relaxed environment—outside of the library, classroom, and lab. “Our events are designed to foster personal connections and deeper understanding of varied intellectual and cultural perspectives,” he says. “I’m excited by the opportunity to cultivate intellectual conversations and cultural appreciation among Harvard Griffin GSAS students!” 

Visit the Engage website to learn more about community-building events for Harvard Griffin GSAS students.   

Have ideas for future programming? Let the Student Center staff know by emailing stucenter@fas.harvard.edu.