President Biden will deliver the commencement speech at the Morehouse College commencement in Atlanta this May and leaders there are ecstatic.
“The invitation to President Biden was extended last September, and we are deeply honored that he has accepted,” Morehouse President David Thomas said in a statement Tuesday.
The visit will mark the third time a White House representative has formally visited the campus in the last two years, Thomas added, calling it “a testament to the significance of our institution and our collective commitment to excellence and progress.”
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., a Morehouse alum, also expressed support for the event, which will take place May 19.
“Morehouse is a proud Georgia institution, an incubator for success for young Black men, and a model for colleges nationwide,” he said in a statement.
Reaction seemed to be mixed, with some happy that the administration was recognizing the country’s only all-male four-year institution, and others questioning whether the speech would mark a campaign stop for President Biden, who will face off with former President Donald Trump in the November general election.
“At the end of the day, this is something that’s on his political agenda to kind of maybe get more young, Black voters or something,” Morehouse sophomore Raman Enigbokan told 11 Alive.
Published reports have indicated Biden has work to do with young voters.
But others expressed support over the visit. Student Government Association President Mekhi Perrin, who graduates this year, said the school is accustomed to hosting prominent socio-political figures on campus.
“President Biden’s visit is yet another opportunity for our community to engage in his presentation and remain open to his reflections while maintaining a critical investigation of goodwill,” Perrin said in a statement.”
Said Warnock, “Since entering the U.S. Senate, I have worked with President Biden to address the high costs of higher education by providing meaningful student debt relief, and so far, his administration has canceled debt for over 4 million Americans — helping close the racial wealth gap and giving borrowers drowning in debt a pathway toward prosperity. I know the President will have a timely, poignant, forward-looking message for the men of Morehouse.”
Both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visited the 157-year-old HBCU in 2022.
