Racial and Cultural Minority Senior Recognition Ceremony
Sponsored by Student Development
Purpose
In the Wheaton College Community Covenant, all members commit to “Pursue unity and embrace ethnic diversity as part of God’s design for humanity and practice racial reconciliation as one of his redemptive purposes in Christ.” The Wheaton College Christ-Centered Diversity Commitment also affirms racial and ethnic diversity “as part of God's eternal design for humanity." The College took an essential step toward fulfilling those commitments in May 2021 by hosting the first annual Racial and Cultural Minority Senior Recognition Ceremony for global and U.S. students during Commencement Weekend.
In I Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul describes God’s vision to connect the people groups created to bear His image through the atoning work of Jesus Christ as one body with many parts. This recognition ceremony seeks to honor the parts of Christ’s body that bear His image at Wheaton College and are fewer in number on our campus. Being fewer in number has created unique challenges for them, requiring commitment to persist to graduation.
The Racial and Cultural Minority Senior Recognition Ceremony creates an opportunity to affirm God’s image in ethnic and cultural minority students and their families, to acknowledge their unique challenges at the College as well as to express appreciation for their commitment. All faculty, staff and families on campus for Commencement Weekend are warmly invited to honor a part of our campus body that can often feel invisible while also promoting unity in Christ. The Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 12:24-26, “But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” The ceremony is an opportunity to rejoice together for what God has done for and through U.S. and global racial minority as well as missionary/third culture (MK/TCK) senior students and their families during their time at Wheaton.
The 2022 recorded event may be viewed at Wheaton College Racial and Cultural Senior Minority Recognition Ceremony 2022