Multiple students at Morehouse College turned their backs on President Biden during his commencement address in Atlanta Sunday — as support for the 81-year-old commander-in-chief among black voters plunges.
Biden’s speech at the historic black, all-male college marked the first time he has set foot on campus since mass anti-Israel protests erupted at schools across the country.
“I support peaceful nonviolent protest. Your voices should be heard. I promise you I hear them,” Biden told the graduates, many of whom had kaffiyeh, a traditional scarf associated with the Palestinians, draped over their shoulders.
As he spoke, several students turned their backs on him.
Despite the frosty reception, Biden used his address to confront the Israel-Hamas war head-on.
“It’s a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, that’s why I’ve called for an immediate ceasefire,” the president said.
“I know it angers and frustrates many of you including in my family,” he added.
Ahead of his remarks, leadership on campus had braced for the possibility of protests similar to the walkouts and other demonstrations against commencement speakers, including Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
Some Morehouse alumni also circulated an online letter condemning administrators for inviting Biden.
The letter claimed that the president’s approach to Israel amounted to support of genocide in Gaza and flies in the face of the pacifism preached by Martin Luther King Jr., Morehouse’s most famous graduate.
Several faculty members reportedly vowed not to attend the commencement address.
Just before Biden’s address, Morehouse Valedictorian Deangelo Fletcher, wearing a Palestinian flag pin, called for an “immediate and a permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, prompting a standing ovation.
Biden, who has previously told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an “immediate cease-fire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians,” joined in the standing ovation.
“What’s happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking,” Biden then said in his address. “Innocent Palestinians caught in the middle of all this —men, women, and children killed or displaced.
“It’s a humanitarian crisis. That’s why I called for an immediate ceasefire — an immediate ceasefire to stop the fighting, bring the hostages home and I’ve been working on a deal as we speak.”
The president also highlighted his aspirations for locking down a deal on a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians.
“I know it angers and frustrates many of you including my family, but most of all, I know it breaks your heart. It breaks mine as well,” he said.
Biden’s address to Morehouse also comes as polls suggest he is losing support from black Americans.
A recent survey conducted by Pew Research Center found that only a slim majority (55%) of black voters approve of the president’s job performance. In 2020, 95% of black women and 87% of black men voted for Biden, according to Pew.
In another poll conducted by NBC News, Biden only notched a 71% to 13% edge with black voters over former President Donald Trump — down from the 87% to 12% score he recorded in 2020 election exit polls.
Throughout his speech, Biden touted his advocacy for black Americans such as his recent push for $16 billion in fresh funding for historically black colleges and universities and his appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
At one point, he invoked George Floyd, who was murdered in Minneapolis by a white police officer in May 2020, setting off fiery protests across the country.
“What is democracy if black men are being killed in the street? What is democracy — the trail of broken promises still leaves black communities behind?” he asked.
“Most of all, what does it mean as you’ve heard before, to be a black man who loves his country even if it doesn’t love him back in equal measure?”
Biden then vowed to show them “democracy is still the way,” “call out the poison of white supremacy,” and “root out systemic racism.”
Near the end of the speech, the commander-in-chief suggested that one day a Morehouse graduate will become president.
“[I have] no doubt, that a Morehouse man will be president one day just after an AKA from Howard,” Biden joked alluding to Vice President Kamala Harris, an alumna of Howard University.
“She’s tough guys,” Biden added with a grin.
Following his remarks, Biden was given an honorary doctorate, with several students walking out as it was presented. Others were heard chanting, “four more years.”
Former President Barack Obama previously spoke at Morehouse College in 2013. Biden is the first sitting US president to deliver the college’s commencement address in 11 years.
Biden was also set to deliver a second commencement address on May 25 at the US Military Academy at West Point.
