Morehouse president will cease ceremonies if protesters shout down Biden
![Morehouse president will cease ceremonies if protesters shout down Biden](https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/HBCU-students-campus_Getty.jpg?w=900)
The president of Morehouse College has said he will cease ceremonies during the school’s Sunday graduation if there are major disruptions during President Biden’s scheduled commencement address.
“What we won’t allow is disruptive behavior that prevents the ceremony or services from proceeding in a manner that those in attendance can partake and enjoy,” the school’s president David Thomas told CNN, giving the example of “prolonged shouting down of the president as he speaks.”
“I have also made a decision that we will also not ask police to take individuals out of commencement in zip ties. If faced with the choice, I will cease the ceremonies on the spot if we were to reach that position,” Thomas said.
Biden is making a stop at the historically Black, all-male college in Atlanta in the wake of campus protests across the country, as young progressives voice their frustration with the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Some students and faculty reportedly raised concerns about the president’s visit, citing worries about protests — and that Biden’s speech could overshadow the graduation event.
Steve Benjamin, head of the administration’s Office of Public Engagement, met with students ahead of the commencement to address those concerns.
“People have different thoughts about what they might want to hear,” Benjamin told reporters on Thursday. “We listened very closely. We received those messages, and we shared those with the president and his speech writing team.”
The visit also comes as Biden works to reach young voters and Black voters amid signs that some in the critical voting blocs are souring on the party.
A week after Morehouse, Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks to the U.S. Military Academy for its May 25 commencement.
Date: | |
Tag: | Joe Biden |
Filter
-
Six GOP senators vow to slow down Biden nominees to protest Trump's guilty verdict
Six Senate Republicans will try to block President Joe Biden's nominees in protest of Donald Trump being found guilty on 34 felony counts.NBC News - Politics - Joe Biden -
RFK Jr. doubles down on opposing Gaza cease-fire, invokes Nazi Germany
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubled down on his opposition of a cease-fire in Gaza and pointed to what the allied forces did to combat Nazi Germany in the 1940s. Kennedy joined “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Thursday and ...The Hill - Politics -
The Latest | Biden says no Gaza cease-fire deal soon, as mediators work to bridge gaps
U.S. President Joe Biden says he doesn’t expect to reach a cease-fire deal for Gaza in the near futureABC News - World - Joe Biden -
Biden campaign trolls Trump’s 78 ‘accomplishments’ on former president’s birthday
The Biden campaign wished former President Trump a happy 78th birthday Friday with a mocking list of 78 "accomplishments" highlighting his legal troubles and some controversial moments from his time in office. The list included Trump's multiple ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
R.E.M. reunite at Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony
A reunion of RABC News - Entertainment -
Bernie Kosar sues over ceremonial bet that got him fired by Browns
Legendary Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, who once got the treatment from Bill Belichick that Tom Brady spent 20 years trying to avoid, got fired by the Browns a second time in 2023 — for placing a wager on a sportsbook app after Ohio legalized ...Yahoo Sports - Sports -
Blinken Calls Hamas Changes to Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal Unworkable
While the U.S. secretary of state kept up the pressure for a halt to the hostilities in Gaza, Israel and Hamas still appeared to be far from reaching a deal.The New York Times - World -
Putin pledges a cease-fire in Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws from occupied regions
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and to begin negotiations if Kyiv started withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced plans to join NATOABC News - Top stories - Ukraine -
Putin Makes Cease-Fire Offer With Sweeping Demands on Ukraine’s Territory
Ukraine denounced the offer, saying that Mr. Putin was “afraid of real peace.” The Russian leader made the remarks one day before a peace summit organized by Kyiv.The New York Times - World - Ukraine -
Chiefs unveil Super Bowl championship rings as team receives them during private ceremony
The Kansas City Chiefs received their Super Bowl championship rings in a private team ceremony before revealing the ornate design of the jewelry for the public.Yahoo Sports - Sports - NFL
More from The Hill
-
Scaramucci suggests CEOs backing former president have 'Trump-nesia'
Former Trump White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci suggested that some CEOs have “Trump-nesia” two days after former President Trump attended the quarterly meeting of Business Roundtable, with over 80 CEOs present including ...The Hill - Politics -
Watch live: Trump gives keynote at 'The People's Convention' in Detroit
Former President Trump is set to headline Turning Point USA's "The People's Convention" Saturday in Detroit. Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for the White House, is also expected to use the trip to key battleground state Michigan as a way to ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
Crockett calls Thomas 'corrupt' after Supreme Court decision to upend bump stocks ban
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) slammed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as “corrupt” during an interview with MSNBC on the court’s recent decision to overturn a Trump-era bump stock ban. Thomas has come under increasing scrutiny for gifts he ...The Hill - Politics -
Eyeing Trump presidency, conservatives want to delay funding fight
Bullish of former President Trump’s chances of winning back the White House in November, some conservatives are pitching a funding stopgap that would extend into next year rather than expire during a lame duck session when President Biden would ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
Iran and Sweden to swap prisoners, including convicted war criminal
Iran agreed Saturday to release two Swedish nationals held in Tehran for over two years in exchange for a convicted Iranian war criminal tied to the 1988 mass killing of protestors critical of the Islamic Republic in the capital city. While ...The Hill - Politics - Iran