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Some Morehouse College students aren’t looking forward to hearing President Biden speak at their graduation ceremony later this month.
Several gathered at the men's HBCU (Historically black colleges and universities) on Wednesday to call out the school’s decision to invite Biden, calling it purely political.
"The general feeling on the ground is that we don’t want him here," a student named Malik told WSB-TV in Atlanta. "It’s very obvious that we’re being used to score political points and get more Black votes. It is so obvious that it’s just about the presidential campaign."
The students’ issues with Biden speaking ranged from anger at his response to the Israel-Hamas war to a desire to want to avoid politics entirely at graduation.
Morehouse College students and faculty have opposed the school's plan to host Biden on May 19. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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"We don’t want Biden. We don’t want politics. And we definitely don’t want Biden to come speak politics," one student said.
Another remarked, "There’s a lot more other prominent figures right now that can come to our colleges and universities and speak to us as Morehouse men."
The protest, however, seemed to primarily focus on the war in Gaza. Students were heard chanting "We won’t vote for Genocidal Joe" while holding signs reading "Free Palestine" and "End Imperialism."
Students on the scene also told WSB-TV that they expect a peaceful, silent protest on the day of the commencement speech, though Secret Service officers will be on high alert.
Fox News Digital reached out to Morehouse College for a comment.
Protesters were heard calling Biden "Genocidal Joe." (Peter Gerber/Fox News)
Morehouse first announced Biden as a keynote speaker on April 23. Shortly afterward, both faculty and students criticized the decision based on Biden’s past support of Israel.
The conflict led to Morehouse administration holding a meeting to discuss how to handle the situation.
"From our perspective, really having a sitting president come to Morehouse offers an incredible opportunity," Morehouse Provost Kendrick Brown said, according to NBC News. "This is something that is in line with Morehouse’s mission and also with this objective of being a place that allows for engagement of social justice issues and moral concerns."
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The school also requested a meeting with Biden before the commencement speech to address the controversy.
US President Joe Biden delivers the commencement address during the 2023 Howard University Spring graduation ceremony at Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2023. ((Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images))
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke about the matter on April 25.
"It’s not the first time, obviously, that he’s given commencement speeches," she said. "I understand this is a different moment in time that we’re in. But he always takes this moment as a special time to deliver a message, an encouraging message, a message that’s hopefully uplifting to the graduates and their families. And we’re going to continue to have these conversations that I’ve just mentioned, with the different communities about what’s happening right now. We get it. It’s painful."
As of now, Biden is still scheduled to speak on May 19.
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