Despite frustration among some Morehouse College faculty, staff, and students about President Joe Biden delivering the Atlanta school’s commencement address on Sunday, the faculty voted on Thursday to award the president an honorary degree, which some opposed in protest of his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
On a call Thursday morning, 50 of the 88 faculty members present voted to give Biden an honorary degree. A source informed ABC News that academics could choose not to offer Biden the honorary degree as an alternate way of opposing his speech.
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Threats to oppose Biden’s attendance at Morehouse College emerged late last month, as part of a larger period of protests on college campuses across the United States over Israel’s war in Gaza, prompted by Hamas’ terror assaults on October 7.
The honorary degree process, which is usually voted on early in the year, is a common occurrence at Morehouse. Every year, the faculty must vote on whether to award the commencement speaker an honorary degree. This year, due to a “oversight in the process,” professors voted on Thursday.
Several students wrote to the faculty, appealing with them to vote against awarding Biden the honorary degree.
“I think a degree is something you earn,” said sophomore Anwar Karim, one of the students who signed the letter. “I failed to find any sort of qualification that earns Biden such an honor.”
Honorary degrees are frequently conferred to those who have made substantial contributions to their area. Biden has received numerous honorary degrees for his contributions to politics.
A faculty member who spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity said they voted in support of awarding the president an honorary degree and planned to vote for Biden this November.
“I believe it’s essential to remember that you’re voting for the team, not just one person. “I trust the team,” the faculty member stated.
Board chair Willie Woods told the Morehouse’s board and students from the Atlanta University Center Consortium—a collaboration of four historically black colleges and universities in the region, including Morehouse—to find a “tasteful” way to protest Biden’s commencement speech, according to Karim, who was present at the meeting. The Morehouse board advocates for nonviolent protests.
Biden will deliver his address in an election year in a critical swing state in front of a major voting demographic. Morehouse is one of the country’s most well-known historically black universities. Biden has commented on student protests on college campuses, saying on “The Big Tigger Morning Show With Jazzy McBee,” a local Atlanta-based radio show, on Wednesday that while Americans have the right to “peacefully protest,” yelling hate speech or engaging in violence is “unacceptable.”
He continued: “I think there are a lot of legitimate concerns, and people have a right to protest, to do it peacefully, and I respect it.”
While Biden has attempted to strike a balance between sympathy for Palestinian civilians in Gaza and support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, he has faced ongoing criticism from younger and more progressive voters, particularly for America’s support of Israel’s operations, despite the fact that the White House has condemned some of Israel’s actions.
Last week, Steve Benjamin, the chief of the White House Office of Public Engagement, met with a small group of students and professors to discuss what they wanted to hear during Biden’s commencement address.
According to a White House official, the group of students and teachers informed the White House that they did not want to hear the president’s campaign speech as he faces former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, in November. Benjamin told the students that the emphasis will be on celebrating their graduation, as well as the president’s wishes for the students as they move forward in their lives.
Karim, a sophomore, stated that he is not concerned about Biden turning his graduating address into a campaign speech.
“I’m more concerned: if you are going to give a campaign speech, what are you going to say that might be of some use to us as young black men?” He said.
David A. Thomas, the president of the school, has voiced concerns about the likely police response to a crowd that is predominantly black.
In an interview with NPR, Thomas stated that if police had to intervene, they would “cancel” the graduation “on the spot.”
Thomas stated, “The last thing we want to do is create a moment where law enforcement takes someone out of commencement because they are being disruptive.” If we had to choose between having police remove people from the Morehouse commencement in zip ties, we would essentially cancel or discontinue the commencement services immediately.
