Ahead of Sunday’s commencement address, President Joe Biden consulted with prominent Black public figures for weeks and White House officials traveled to Morehouse College’s campus to hold forth with students and faculty and attempt to quell their concerns.
During a meeting in early May, roughly half of the two-hour conversation focused on the conflict in Gaza, one source said. Stephen Benjamin, the director of the White House office of public engagement, said he and the students had a wide-ranging conversation, which again included the conflict in the Middle East.
Students are also concerned that their achievements will be overshadowed by a stump speech, according to people familiar with the discussions. They have expressed frustration that the format of the event and the level of security required for such a high-profile visit resulted in limited tickets for family members, many of whom must watch from an overflow room.
Biden’s scheduled appearance at Morehouse is a shift in strategy as the president has largely shied away from addressing large crowds of young people on college campuses, a change that came shortly after his January remarks on abortion rights at Virginia’s George Mason University were interrupted more than a dozen times by protesters outraged at his continued support for Israel in its war in Gaza.
The Middle East conflict spurred more than 1,360 student demonstrations on campuses across the country from October 7 to May 3, according to data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
“I understand people have strong feelings of deep convictions,” Biden said during brief remarks from the White House on campus protests earlier this month. “In America, we respect the right and protect the right for them to express that. But it doesn’t mean anything goes.”
