NBC News reported that Morehouse is expected to announce that Biden will give the commencement address at its May 19 graduation ceremony. According to the report, several faculty members have raised concerns with the school’s administration that Biden’s presence may cause disruptions and invite protests from students and perhaps even faculty members. Morehouse, like many campuses, has been a site of protests concerning the war in Gaza, including an incident in which a student was detained after pulling down an Israeli flag from the school’s chapel. According to NBC, Morehouse’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Kendrick Brown, confirmed Biden’s scheduled address in a message to faculty members. While offering an opportunity for concerned faculty to discuss the issue with the school’s administration, Brown said in the email that “the College does not plan to rescind its accepted invitation to President Biden.”

Biden’s speech is part of efforts by the administration to reach out to young Black voters, especially those affiliated with HBCUs. For example, Vice President Kamala Harris recently hosted the A Different World cast at the White House to discuss student debt relief and highlight the administration’s support for HBCUs. But even with this renewed focus on young, Black voters, many remain skeptical of the administration’s accomplishments. Its support for Israel puts them off as the Palestinian death toll rises. Many Black potential voters feel solidarity with Palestinians who have been denied statehood and are now suffering violence, homelessness and the denial of primary resources during the six-month war. Osama Al-Qasem, leader of the Philadelphia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The Washington Post that Black Americans “understand what we’re going through, and therefore they empathize and sympathize and support our struggle, as well.”

The president’s commencement address comes as protests over the war in Gaza engulf many college campuses. In December, Congress grilled the presidents of Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania on accusations that they failed to contain antisemitism as pro-Palestine and anti-Israel protests grew on their campuses. Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, resigned after backlash against her congressional testimony, which was combined with accusations of plagiarism made by right-wing opponents of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Since then, protests have continued to grow and spread across campuses, and tensions have increased. Police have controversially arrested student protestors on Columbia, New York University and Yale campuses. Biden recently told reporters that “I condemn the antisemitic protests” on college campuses, adding, “That’s why I set up a program to deal with that. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

As long as the conflict in Gaza continues and the United States maintains its support for Israel, the Biden administration will continue to see protests and anger from Black voters, college students, American Muslims and various groups unhappy with these policies. Biden’s visit to Morehouse will likely spark sustained controversy and protests.