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.
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.
