Biden faces silent protests at Morehouse opening

ATLANTA — President Joe Biden was met with silent protests during his commencement speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday, after some students and faculty expressed strong opposition to his visit due to the president’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

In his speech preceding the president’s address, Major DeAngelo “DJ” Fletcher called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”

When Biden spoke, he addressed the issue directly, saying, “What is happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking.”

“We can’t stop the wars that break out and break our hearts,” Biden said. “I want to make this very clear: I support peaceful, non-violent protests. Your voices must be heard, and I promise I will hear them.”

He later revealed that even his own family was frustrated by the failed attempts to bring lasting peace to the region.

“What next? What after Hamas? What happens next? What happens in Gaza? What rights do the Palestinian people have? I’m working so that we finally get a two-way solution States. The only solution: for two people to live in peace, security and dignity,” Biden said. “This is one of the most difficult and complicated issues in the world. There is nothing easy about it. I know this angers and frustrates many of you, including my family.”

As graduates filed into the ceremony Sunday, some visibly wore Palestinian flags and keffiyehs, a headdress typically worn by men in the Middle East, draped around their shoulders.

Although there were no disruptive protests, students and faculty expressed their opposition in other ways. A handful of graduates turned their chairs when Biden spoke. A faculty member stood with his back to the president, his right fist raised.

There was notably an age difference in the support of Morehouse graduates: alumni seated on the left gave standing ovations during and after Biden’s speech, while the class of 2024 mostly remained seated all during.

As Biden spoke, professors prominently waved the flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo behind him. The country is embroiled in its own humanitarian crisis resulting from unprecedented violence in the country.

The Morehouse valedictorian gave a speech to Biden, saying that in honor of the school’s legacy, he felt it was right to call for a ceasefire.

“It is only right that the Class of 2024 uses any platform offered to express solidarity with peace and justice,” Fletcher said. “The Israel-Gaza conflict has tormented the people of this region for generations.”

“It is my position as a Morehouse man – indeed as a human being – to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” Fletcher said. “Hear the people of this world sing the song of righteous justice.”

Biden looked thoughtful and stoic as he sat behind Fletcher and applauded after the valedictorian called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

Biden later noted that he had also called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“This is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That’s why I called for an immediate ceasefire. An immediate ceasefire, stop the fighting. Bring back the hostages,” Biden said. “As we speak, I’m working on a deal. I’m working around the clock to… get more aid to Gaza and rebuild Gaza.”

The Rev. Hardy Spurgeon Bennings III, who offered a prayer at the start of the ceremony, also addressed the war in Gaza and conflicts in other regions, saying young graduates should hold those in power accountable and calling for the protection of human life everywhere.

“God, make of this class men with a moral conscience who will lead this country to be conscious of its moral duty,” he said, later adding: “Make of these men men who will hold our communities and our country responsible for the value of human life.

“Whether it’s a baby in the womb, or a baby whose mother expects to come home in the afternoon, whether it’s a child educated in a disadvantaged school or in a charter school, whether he lives in Israel or Palestine, in Ukraine or Russia, Congo or Haiti, God, give us men who will value life and call us to responsibility,” said the reverend.

Morehouse College welcomed students’ silent protests during Biden’s commencement speech.

“We are proud of the resilient Unit Class of 2024 in silent protest, demonstrating their intentionality in strategy, communication and coordination as a 414-person unit,” the college said in a statement.

The college added that “peaceful assembly is at the heart of Morehouse College’s tradition of social justice.”

The college also praised Biden and his administration for “listening and, most importantly, implementing what our community and global society have asked for.”

“The work is far from done and Morehouse College will continue to center meaningful and nuanced dialogue and critique to foster positive societal change,” the college said.

Biden’s speech came during an election year in a key state, in front of a key voting bloc — Morehouse is one of the nation’s most famous historically black universities — and after much speculation about how he would be received.

Polls show Biden faces headwinds in winning over some young and black voters who voted for him in 2020, and protests have erupted in recent months on college campuses across the United States against the president’s handling of the war in Gaza. Morehouse ultimately decided not to rescind Biden’s invitation to speak upon its opening, and a vote was taken to confirm that he would receive an honorary doctorate.