Anti-Biden protester -- back turned and fist raised -- at ceremony.
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ATLANTA — President Biden pitched himself as a leader who is "breaking down doors" for Black Americans during a closely watched speech Sunday at Morehouse College, using his moment as commencement speaker to try to make inroads with a constituency that has drifted away from him in recent polls.
Before Biden spoke, the biggest question was whether his words would be interrupted by protests, like the ones that have sprung up on college campuses across the country. But instead of a loud rebuke, Biden was met with polite, if measured, applause by the more than 400 graduating seniors and their families, and no major demonstrations.
He focused his speech on what he sees as his record of improving the lives of Black Americans, stressing that the strides would stop if Donald Trump were elected.
"We're breaking down doors, so that you have 100 times more opportunities - good-paying jobs you can raise a family on in your neighborhood, capital to start small businesses, loans to buy homes, health insurance, prescription drugs, housing that's more affordable," Biden said.
A handful of students and faculty members at the ceremony turned their backs on Biden as he gave the keynote speech, a silent protest of the president's support of Israel's war in Gaza.
As many as six students could be seen seated with their backs to Biden at one point, one with a fist raised in the air. At least one faculty member appeared to be doing the same thing.
Biden recognized the protests and said he respected them. "Let me be clear: I support peaceful, nonviolent protest. Your voices should be heard, and I promise I hear them," he said.
Tensions have simmered on Morehouse's campus in recent weeks as groups of students, faculty and alumni at this historically Black, all-male institution demanded that Biden's invitation be rescinded over his support of Israel. Many worried that allowing Biden to speak in this moment would mar the school's reputation and be antithetical to the teachings of its most famous graduate, Martin Luther King Jr.
Georgia is a key battleground state, and polls point to a closely contested election, so students expected a speech that was not just inspirational, but also political.
Biden touted historic investments in historically Black colleges and universities like Morehouse and highlighted the diversity he has put in place at the highest levels of government. He said he was drawn into politics by the example of King, a bust of whom sits in the Oval Office. Biden also sought to contrast himself with Trump, his likely opponent in November's election, saying Trump and other Republicans would dismantle the progress Black Americans have made in the past three years.
Biden has spent most of the past week intensifying his outreach to Black voters, one of the Democratic Party's most loyal constituencies, as recent polls show softening support from the demographic. Some Black voters are saying they are inclined to not vote at all, and many are less enthusiastic about voting for Biden than they were four years ago.
On Thursday, Biden met with plaintiffs in the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed school segregation in the United States. On Friday, he met with members of the "Divine Nine" historically Black sororities and fraternities. And Sunday night, he is headed to Michigan, another battleground state, to give the keynote address at the Detroit NAACP's Freedom Fund dinner.
"Everything you let me do, everything you helped me do, everything we've done, they want to undo," Biden said Saturday during a campaign stop at Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta, which is owned by a Morehouse graduate. "From the climate legislation, to not allowing Medicare, to negotiating drug prices, our democracy is really on the line. Listen to the things he says."
A day before that, during a speech marking the 70th anniversary of Brown, Biden said Trump and his allies would curb voting rights and "gut" affirmative action on college campuses.
The threat of demonstrations and a potentially public rebuke of Biden made his trip to Atlanta a closely watched one. As commencement Sunday approached, some activists engaged in demonstrations and "die-ins." On Sunday, outside of Morehouse, sign-waving protesters marched as Biden spoke.
The college's president, David Thomas, had said he would halt commencement exercises on the spot if students, faculty or others disrupted the president's appearance. On the day of commencement, police blocked off streets as far as two blocks from campus, blunting the chance that any chants or other sounds of protest would reach Biden's ears, or anyone else's.
About a half-hour before the ceremony was to begin - with soon-to-be graduates not yet in their seats - a Morehouse official took to the stage to issue a request.
"We also ask that you respect the dignity and reputation of excellence at Morehouse College," Mel Foster, an associate provost of student success, told the audience. "Although we respect everyone's right to free speech, Morehouse has provided guidelines to ensure we are in full compliance with the law."
Still, there were multiple references to the Israel-Gaza war. Several students and at least one faculty member wore Palestinian scarves as they were seated. In his opening prayer, the Rev. Claybon Lea Jr., a pastor from California, alluded to the plight of Palestinians.
Valedictorian DeAngelo Fletcher called for a cease-fire.
"It is important to recognize that both sides have suffered heavy casualties in the wake of October 7," he said during his remarks. "… It is my sense as a Morehouse man, nay, as a human being, to call for an immediate and a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip."
Biden himself talked about the war, saying he recognizes the ongoing humanitarian crisis, has called for an immediate cease-fire and believes in a two-state solution.
But he said he recognizes that feelings are intense on all sides of the issue and that there are no easy answers.
"It's one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world. There's nothing easy about it," he said of the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
He added that the graduates may find themselves facing similarly intractable problems as Morehouse men, called to be servants and leaders in their communities.
"I know it angers and frustrates many of you, including my family. But most of all, I know it breaks your heart. Breaks mine as well," he said. "Leadership is about facing the most intractable problems, it's about challenging anger, frustration and heartbreak to find a solution by doing what you believe is right, even when it's hard and lonely."
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