The “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza was denounced by President Joe Biden during his commencement address at Morehouse College on Sunday, which was met with moderate applause but remained uninterrupted.
Taking a stand against the Israel-Hamas conflict, which is fueling campus unrest nationwide, the president spoke before the historic Black, all-male college.
Announcing his desire for “an immediate ceasefire” to “stop the fighting” and “bring the hostages home,” he addressed the graduates and alumni. A “two state solution” was his demand, and he regretted the bloodshed on October 7. Nonviolent demonstrations that do not resort to violence have my full support. He said, “Your voices should be heard and I promise you I will listen to them,” adding that he and his family were just as irate and upset over the whole thing.
Opponents of Biden’s stance on Israel have been accustomed to confronting him at rallies. College campuses have been the scene of pro-Paletinian demonstrations and tense, often violent clashes; so, there was great anticipation for his speech at Morehouse, as it was his first visit to one.
Various political viewpoints were voiced throughout the day. Some in the audience rose to their feet in celebration when class valedictorian DeAngelo Jeremiah Fletcher called for an end to hostilities during his speech. In fact, Biden himself clapped. The president was ignored by a small group of pupils. When Biden received his honorary degree, some people left the ceremony. Rather than stand or cheer, many remained seated and kept their heads down while he talked.
Democrats’ concerns that the event may turn into a politically humiliating incident were allayed when neither fireworks nor notable disturbances occurred.
While dressed in a Morehouse-maroon cap and gown and tie, the president devoted a significant portion of his speech to discussing the dangers to democracy and the difficulties encountered by Black males in the United States. He warned of the “poison of white supremacy” and emphasized the importance of eliminating institutional racism. He proposed a number of measures, including increasing funding for Black communities, decreasing child poverty among Black children, eliminating lead pipes, reuniting neighborhoods divided by racist infrastructure projects, and providing more people with access to fast internet. People were most impressed by his suggestion that he work on reducing student loan debt.
On the other hand, maybe the speech was mostly about the speaker’s life. From his early career involvement in the movement to his home state’s complicated history on civil rights, Biden ticked through his own tale. A bust of Martin Luther King Jr., which he keeps in the Oval Office, was mentioned by him. He discussed how the passing of his son Beau Biden motivated him to remain active in public service. In addition to serving as vice president to the first Black president, appointing the first Black vice president, and nominating the first female Black Supreme Court justice, he proudly displayed his credentials.
Biden made a joke about how there are more Morehouse men in the White House who are instructing him what to do than he knows what to do.
Later, he continued, “I have no doubt that a Morehouse man will be president one day,” and then he nodded to his vice president, Howard alumna Kamala Harris. “Right after Howard’s AKA…” It’s tough, dudes.
After remaining mostly silent, the audience finally cracked up at his unusual antics.
With his staff closely monitoring the slate of pro-Palestinian rallies around the nation, Biden had a tough balancing act to pull off during the speech. Historically Black colleges and universities have been relatively quieter than other campuses in this regard. However, measures were still taken by the administration before to Sunday in order to forestall any potential humiliation.
An official in Biden’s administration explained that he has addressed current events in previous commencement speeches, so it was appropriate for him to bring up Gaza on Sunday. According to the person, the White House reached out to many other groups, including Morehouse alumni, for feedback before the speech.
While Harris was in Atlanta not long ago, she stopped to inquire about the campus response to Biden’s visit from the president of Morehouse’s student government. Earlier this month, Morehouse hosted White House Office of Public Engagement director Steve Benjamin for a meeting with students and professors. Notable Morehouse alums were waiting on the Atlanta airport tarmac to greet Vice President Biden when he landed on Saturday. Mary Mac’s Tea Room, a local Southern café in downtown Atlanta also owned by a Morehouse graduate, was where he met with Morehouse students and alumni during the afternoon.
Polls reveal that Biden’s support among Black voters is waning, which coincides with his Morehouse address. The president was expected by several leading Black Democrats in the White House to reaffirm his commitment to reaching out to Black voters during the Morehouse speech. These people played a pivotal role in Biden’s 2020 victory.
Biden has made HBCUs a priority in his presidency. White House records show that his administration has funded more than any other at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), to the tune of over $16 billion.
A number of factors, however, have had a significant influence on Biden’s reputation among young voters. He has been mostly in favor of the Israeli government during the Israel-Hamas conflict, but he has lately warned against an all-out invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and this has caused some controversy. Public opinion polls, however, show that problems like inflation are a major source of the resentment and hostility that young voters feel against the president.
As he addressed the graduating class, Biden shared his thoughts on leadership and the ongoing Middle Eastern crisis. Sometimes, he said, leadership required “fighting through some of the most intractable problems” and “doing what’s right even when it’s hard and lonely.”