Students, faculty oppose Morehouse College honorary doctorate to Biden
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The decision to confer the honorary degree was made with a 50-38 vote, while students and alumni protested Biden's selection as commencement speaker due to his handling of the Israeli war on Gaza.
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Demonstrators gather in front of the White House during a rally in support of Palestinians. (AFP/Getty Images)
Morehouse College faculty voted on Thursday to award Joe Biden an honorary doctorate during the upcoming graduation ceremony, where he is scheduled to deliver the commencement address, The Guardian reported.
The decision to confer the honorary degree was reached with a vote of 50-38, with approximately twelve faculty members abstaining. This decision has sparked protests from students, faculty, and alumni, who expressed concerns over President Biden's handling of the Israeli war on Gaza.
Although the invitation for Biden to serve as commencement speaker was extended back in September, it wasn't until last month that Morehouse College announced the additional plan to confer upon him an honorary degree. This decision has drawn attention, particularly as Morehouse is a historically Black college located in Atlanta, Georgia, a crucial swing state.
Biden, seeking reelection to the presidency, aims to strengthen his tenuous support among voters of color and young voters, both vital components of the coalition that propelled him to victory in the previous election.
Biden's appearance sparks accusations of endorsing genocide
Last month, Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine — Georgia issued a statement shortly after Biden's appearance was confirmed.
"More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children," the statement said. "More than 77,000 have been injured. Every hospital and university in Gaza has been destroyed. None of this would have been possible without the support and sponsorship of the Biden Administration. Any college or university that gives its commencement stage to President Biden in this moment is endorsing genocide," it stressed.
At the time, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, who serves as the national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) and is also an alumnus of Morehouse, urged the college to withdraw the invitation.
Mitchell said last month, "Although I completely understand why Morehouse would normally want the President of the United States to speak at our commencement, our institution would never welcome any and every president to speak. George W Bush would not have been welcome at the height of the Iraq war or in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Donald Trump would not have been welcome at any time."
"Because the White House still refuses to end our government’s military, financial, and diplomatic support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza, President Biden should not speak at Morehouse’s commencement," he stressed.
Biden's Morehouse speech: graduation or campaign platform?
Prior to the commencement address, Steve Benjamin, head of the White House Office of Public Engagement, held a reported two-hour meeting with Morehouse faculty and students. Some students voiced concerns that Biden might use the occasion to deliver a campaign speech rather than focusing on their graduation.
Despite the faculty's decision to approve Biden receiving the honorary degree, both the school and the White House are bracing for potential protests at the graduation ceremony. Thomas has stated that he would “cancel or discontinue the commencement services on the spot" if protests escalate to the point of individuals being escorted out in zip ties. In a statement last week, he emphasized the importance of keeping protests non-disruptive.
BREAKING: Militarized New York Police Are Arresting Pro Palestinian University Protesters And Walking Them To Police Buses
— Khalissee (@Kahlissee) April 23, 2024
America Is A Police State.
Zionism Has Taken Over. RIP To The First Amendment pic.twitter.com/ck7maFvdDZ
🇺🇸🇵🇸 US Police zip tie and arrest protesting student on wheelchair pic.twitter.com/JdmMNHs2qO
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) May 9, 2024
"As we approach our upcoming commencement exercises, I want to emphasize that Morehouse College fully supports peaceful and non-disruptive acts of solidarity that do not interrupt the flow of the honored celebration," Morehouse’s President David A. Thomas wrote in a statement last week.
Morehouse legacy: anti-war advocacy
Morehouse College is uniquely positioned as the only all-male historically Black college globally, argued Jared Loggins, a professor of Black studies and political science at Amherst College, in an analysis published last month by The Guardian.
Its distinguished alumni encompass a wide spectrum of influential figures, most notably Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an iconic leader in the civil rights movement advocating for peace, he added.
As per Loggins' view, what is happening now highlights a notable disparity between Dr. King who staunchly opposed war and violence, and Morehouse's President David A. Thomas.
In an email addressed to students, faculty, and alumni, notifying them of Biden's acceptance of the speaking invitation, Thomas stated, "Drawing inspiration from Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community, we recognize that personal, community, and international conflicts are inescapable. However, it is our moral duty to resolve these conflicts peacefully and to reconcile through an inclusive, joint commitment to goodwill and allyship."
Meanwhile, students within the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC), comprising historically Black institutions like Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Morehouse School of Medicine, have been outspoken in criticizing their administrations' connections to companies engaged in business with "Israel", as per the piece.
Groups like the Student Intercommunal Coordinating Committee have linked the Palestinian cause to the Stop Cop City movement, which seeks to halt the construction of a law enforcement training center in Atlanta. Despite their activism, they have encountered harassment, intimidation, and arrest.
Students across the nation, including numerous within the AUCC, are upholding the legacy of Dr. King. Their actions occur amid a larger movement and crackdown, which is the most severe the country has witnessed since 1968. Biden has accused these students—individuals crucial to his electoral success—of being "antisemitic" and lacking knowledge. Additionally, college and university administrations have deployed riot police against them and have issued threats of disciplinary measures.
"At precisely the moment when students all over the country are showing us the meaning of courage, Morehouse’s invitation to the president shows profound cowardice. The moral leaders in this moment have been clear all along. We should join them," Loggins concluded by saying.
In a related context, UC Irvine exclusively offered online classes on Thursday following the arrest of 50 students during a police crackdown on a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the university on Wednesday evening.
Read next: Professors being fired from jobs for pro-Palestine speech, solidarity
A woman who said she is a professor in the global studies dept was detained alongside UC Irvine students
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 16, 2024
When asked if she was concerned about possibly jeopardizing her job, she responded, "What job do I have if the students don't have a future?"
pic.twitter.com/9umLP99uVH
UC Irvine facilitating this response to its students & faculty peacefully protesting is sth I'll never forget pic.twitter.com/myxMb3sZWV
— Leg Man 🇵🇸🇨🇩🇸🇩 (@all_F808Z) May 16, 2024
