Watch Biden Give Morehouse College Commencement Speech: How To Watch HBCU’s Graduation Online

19.05.2024 13:00

NewsOne.com

Joe Biden's commencement speech at Morehouse College will be livestreamed. Here's how to watch online the president's keynote address to graduates.

The post Watch Biden Give Morehouse College Commencement Speech: How To Watch HBCU’s Graduation Online appeared first on NewsOne.

Benjamin G. Brawley Hall at Morehouse College is shown in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: Raymond Boyd / Getty

President Joe Biden is set to deliver the keynote address Sunday at Morehouse College, a historically Black university (HBCU) for men with a storied history that boasts notable alumni like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and filmmaker Spike Lee among its esteemed alumni.

Keep reading to find out how to watch a livestream of President Joe Biden giving the graduation speech at Morehouse College.

Biden’s speech is highly anticipated for several reasons amid an election year in which a subplot has included polling reports of fewer Black men supporting the president now than they did four years ago when he was a candidate who defeated Donald Trump. Now, Trump faces serious felony charges in Georgia centered on allegations he tried to overturn the state’s election results, including those credited to Black voters for securing the Electoral College votes Biden needed to secure the presidency. The two presumptive nominees are expected to square off again in November.

President Joe Biden speaks to supporters and volunteers during a campaign event at Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 18, 2024. | Source: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / Getty

Beyond that, the support that Biden’s administration has shown for Israel’s deadly conflict with Palestine has sparked an outcry across college campuses, and Morehouse has been no exception.

Earlier this year, a viral video showed a Morehouse student removing an Israel flag that was hanging in a campus chapel before being publicly reprimanded by a professor for the apparent act of protest.

Young Black people, in particular, have increasingly expressed solidarity with Palestinian people during what critics say is an Israeli-led “genocide” in Gaza.

Morehouse students are also reportedly “frustrated over the run-up to Biden’s arrival,” including “the seniors on campus having to move to other dorms for security reasons.”

Marq Riggins, a sociology major, told ABC News that “It’s pretty disrespectful to the student body to take this ceremony that’s supposed to be celebrating them and reduce it to like a political campaign.”

Morehouse College President David Thomas said in a statement he was “honored” to have Biden deliver this year’s commencement speech.

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 10- An anti 'Cop City' and Pro-Palestinian si

An anti ‘Cop City’ and Pro-Palestinian sign is seen on a column on the campus of Morehouse College on Friday, May 10, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Mekhi Perrin, the Student Government Association president for the Class of 2024, put it a little differently.

“As students at Morehouse College, we are often at the forefront of social and political matters because of the institution’s history. We have an extensive history of hosting public figures of national and international rank on our campus,” Perrin said. “We are a community of scholars who are familiar with and understand the complexities associated with engaging many of our socio-political guests. President Biden’s visit is yet another opportunity for our community to engage in his presentation and remain open to his reflections while maintaining a critical investigation of goodwill.”

That could mean that students and others in attendance may let the president know how they feel when he begins speaking. Flyers posted on campus have encouraged graduates to stand up and turn their backs to Biden while he delivers the speech, according to reports.