Morehouse Faculty Clashes Over Biden Speech

The faculty at Morehouse College, a historically black college in Atlanta, is divided on awarding President Joe Biden an honorary doctorate at its commencement ceremony on May 19.

Faculty opposed to awarding Biden a doctorate are opposed to his policies on policing and mass incarceration, the Israel-Hamas war, and his comments on student protests, NBC News reported.

Faculty members will vote on the matter Thursday at a meeting, NBC News said. But in a statement, Morehouse said the vote is simply procedural, and that Biden will still be speaking and awarded an honorary degree.

"The decision to call for a faculty vote is due to a mistaken oversight in the process, which traditionally includes a faculty vote that usually takes place in September," the college said. "To honor the correct process and ensure the inclusion of the faculty voice, Morehouse leadership called for a faculty meeting to pose a vote, which will then go to the board of trustees for final approval."

Morehouse said the faculty meeting featured a "full range of perspectives, those of support and concern, not unlike the national societal discussion."

Morehouse alumnus Cedric Richmond, co-chair of Biden's campaign, told NBC News that Biden has earned the honorary degree for helping the African American community by reducing Black poverty, appointing the first African American woman to the Supreme Court, and closing the racial wealth gap.

"All of those things are very instrumental in the African American community," Richmond said.

Biden will also giving this year's commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy.

A source at the White House told NBC News said Biden was excited to speak at Morehouse and was not dissuaded by protests. On Wednesday, 50 students and protests faculty from Morehouse College and Spelman College protested the Israel-Hamas war, calling for Biden to cancel his speech, NBC News said.

• Biden Says 'Order Must Prevail' During Campus Protests
• Biden Welcomes Peaceful Protests at College Commencements, White House Says