ATLANTA — When word spread that President Joe Biden would serve as Morehouse College’s 2024 commencement speaker, a loud contingent of students and alumni demanded that the Atlanta-based Black college rescind the invitation.

They argued that Biden was on the wrong side of the Israel-Hamas war and that he was using Morehouse as a prop to increase his sagging poll numbers among Black male voters.

A top Morehouse official said in an interview Monday the college is continuing with its plans for Biden to speak at its May 19 ceremony.

“There are of course opinions saying that we should rescind the invitation,” said Morehouse Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Kendrick Brown. “But there are a number of individuals who recognize this opportunity and the prominence of the speaker and an opportunity for Morehouse to highlight its mission and to be able to use this venue to ask important questions. So from that perspective, we have not, at this point, thought about rescinding anything.”

Brown sat down with the AJC’s Politically Georgia team for a wide-ranging conversation with Tia Mitchell and Bill Nigut Monday morning.

Here are some of the highlights: (Questions and answers have been condensed for clarity).

Q: Why Biden and was this influenced by Trump’s recent visit to the Chick-fil-A near campus?

A: Being able to have the sitting president, President Biden as a commencement speaker, is very high profile. The invitation was extended in September of last year. We got a soft confirmation in December and certainly didn’t get any full confirmation until just recently. It is a process. It is not something that happens right away. It was not something that was influenced by candidate Trump.

Q: So it is a political gesture designed to be an easy visit for President Biden to speak to the Black community?

A: The reason that we invited President Biden here, the reason we invite any speaker to come to commencement, is that we believe they have something to say to encourage our graduates as they go out into the world. I hope this speech would not be about making a case or making a campaign. It should be about our students, it should be about what they’ve accomplished and what they’re going to accomplish as they go out into the world. President Biden... if he were to remember that this truly is about commencement and this truly is meant to be a celebration. That’s what our graduates want more than anything else.

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