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EXCLUSIVE: Morehouse President David Thomas and Sen. Raphael Warnock Issue Statements About President Joe Biden's Upcoming Commencement Address

The commencement is scheduled for May 19.

Morehouse College has announced that President Joe Biden will be the commencement speaker on May 19.

David Thomas, President of Morehouse College, expressed his excitement about Biden's visit to the storied HBCU's campus.

“I am honored to announce that the 46th President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden, will be the commencement speaker for our 140th Commencement ceremony,” Thomas said to BET.com. “The invitation to President Biden was extended last September, and we are deeply honored that he has accepted, which marks the third time the White House has formally visited Morehouse within the last two years – a testament to the significance of our institution and our collective commitment to excellence and progress.”

“We eagerly anticipate welcoming President Biden back to The House next month. His presence serves as a reminder of our institution's enduring legacy and impact, as well as our continued commitment to excellence, progress, and positive change,” Thomas continued.

Mekhi Perrin, president of the Student Government Association and member of the Class of 2024, also said that Biden’s visit will spark great dialogue with the student body about his vision for the future.

“As students at Morehouse College, we are often at the forefront of social and political matters because of the institution's history. We have an extensive history of hosting public figures of national and international rank on our campus,” Perrin said. “We are a community of scholars who are familiar with and understand the complexities associated with engaging many of our socio-political guests. President Biden's visit is yet another opportunity for our community to engage in his presentation and remain open to his reflections while maintaining a critical investigation of goodwill."

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, a Morehouse alum and pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, lauded Biden for his accomplishments to the Black community.

“Morehouse is a proud Georgia institution, an incubator for success for young Black men, and a model for colleges nationwide. As a proud alum, I could not be more thrilled and honored to see President Biden return to our great state to deliver this year’s commencement address,” Warnokd told BET.com.

 “Since entering the U.S. Senate, I have worked with President Biden to address the high costs of higher education by providing meaningful student debt relief, and so far, his Administration has canceled debt for over 4 million Americans–helping close the racial wealth gap and giving borrowers drowning in debt a pathway toward prosperity,” Warnock continued. “I know the President will have a timely, poignant, forward-looking message for the Men of Morehouse.”

Biden’s speech at Morehouse is an attempt by his administration to reassure his support with the African American community ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election.

In February, the Biden administration announced that a historic $ 7 billion investment was made to HBCUs, which includes $3.6 billion from the American Rescue Plan,

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