ATLANTA — Morehouse College faculty members remain concerned about the decision to have President Joe Biden keeps his promises during the school’s May 19 commencement address and asked the White House to take certain steps to address their concerns.
Regine Jackson, professor of sociology and dean of the Division of Humanities, Social Sciences, Media and the Arts, said faculty members were hoping for “direct engagement” with Biden before his speech, highlighting a city hall Vice President Kamala Harris stood during her visit to the school last fall.
“There was an opportunity for exchange, and we all recognize that the beginning is not that opportunity, so (we) try to find and reserve space and time for that,” Jackson said.
Jackson was among about 80 faculty members who participated in a virtual meeting last week, hosted by Morehouse administration leaders, to give them a way to voice their concerns, which were largely centered on concerns according to which Biden’s presence could distract from the graduation ceremony and its unease. policies towards Israel and its war in the Gaza Strip.
A Morehouse spokesperson said the request for additional dialogue with Biden was expected — and that the school had proactively spoken with White House officials about a meeting before the commencement speech.
The White House declined to comment.
One senior Democratic official who has participated in discussions with the Morehouse community is Cedric Richmond, a Morehouse alumnus who is co-chair of Biden’s re-election campaign.
“I’m friends with everyone there. Of course I talk to them,” Richmond said, adding that he planned to attend the graduation but didn’t plan to go to school in advance.
“The president speaking in a college is not about the president. It’s about the college and the students,” he said. “How many schools graduate 500 black men at the same time?” »
Morehouse is the only college in the country dedicated to the education of black men. It is one of the two colleges where Biden will deliver commencement speeches this year; the other is the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
Morehouse Provost Kendrick Brown, one of the officials who organized the call to address faculty concerns, acknowledged that a Harris-style town hall is unlikely, given the president’s schedule, but he said they had requested an additional form of communication as tensions remained high. college campuses in Georgia and across the country because of the war in Gaza.
“We cannot control President Biden’s schedule. But we can definitely say that if it is possible, it would be great if we could commit before the start. What form that might take and how that might be expressed, of course, is all still a conversation,” Brown said.
Concerns about Biden’s visit have grown among some faculty members as protests on college campuses have led to the Stops students and, in some cases, allegations of excessive force by police.
Last week, a Morehouse student was among 28 students arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest and encampment at nearby Emory University, further fueling concerns not only that similar protests could shake Morehouse campus during Biden’s speech, but also that students would face force by law enforcement personnel.
“At Martin Luther King’s alma mater, we have a moral responsibility to speak out against injustices, and our students are violently repressed and attacked for it. And I’m afraid of what this is going to mean for our students,” said political science professor Andrew Douglas.
Students, faculty and leaders said they expected some sort of protest around the president’s visit this month and were working to prevent the type of escalation in other schools do not occur at Morehouse.
Douglas said he spoke to several faculty members who stated that “under no conditions will they sit on a stage with Joe Biden.
Jackson said: “Protests, I think we should expect that. I think if we don’t prepare for it, it will be at our peril.
“One of the things we’ve seen time and time again in this generation is their ability to be, on the one hand, respectful and, on the other hand, to not allow themselves to be silenced and to make their voices heard. ” Jackson said. “I expect nothing less from our class.”
Richmond was also optimistic about decorum.
“It’s a solemn event on a Sunday morning,” he said, “and I hope people will recognize the solemnity of this event as parents, family and friends look on.”
