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Ahead of President Biden’s graduation remarks on Sunday at Morehouse College in Atlanta, a prestigious historically Black institution, the White House signaled some anxiety about the potential for protests over the war in Gaza.
During a recent visit to Atlanta, Vice President Kamala Harris stopped to ask the Morehouse student government president about the sentiment on campus about the conflict, how students felt about Mr. Biden’s visit and what the graduating class wanted to hear from him. Later, the leader of the administration’s public engagement office and one of its most senior Black officials, Stephen K. Benjamin, visited to take the temperature of students, faculty members and administrators.
The reasons for concern are clear: Nationwide demonstrations over the war and Mr. Biden’s approach to it have inflamed more than 60 colleges and universities, stoked tensions within the Democratic Party and created new headaches for his re-election bid.
Yet Mr. Biden appears to be entering a different type of scene at Morehouse.
While anger over the war remains palpable at Morehouse and other historically Black colleges and universities, these campuses have been largely free of turmoil, and tensions are far less evident: no encampments, few loud protests and little sign of Palestinian flags flying from dorm windows.
The reasons stem from political, cultural and socioeconomic differences with other institutions of higher learning. While H.B.C.U.s host a range of political views, domestic concerns tend to outweigh foreign policy in the minds of most students. Many started lower on the economic ladder and are more intently focused on their education and their job prospects after graduation.
At Morehouse — which has a legacy of civil rights protests and is the alma mater of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — discontent over the Gaza war has played out in classrooms and auditoriums rather than on campus lawns.
“This should not be a place that cancels people regardless of if we agree with them,” David Thomas, the Morehouse president, said in an interview earlier this month. Of Mr. Biden’s visit, he said, “Whether people support the decision or not, they are committed to having it happen on our campus in a way that doesn’t undermine the integrity or dignity of the school.”
Some students have held contentious meetings with university leaders and urged them to rescind Mr. Biden’s invitation, and a small group of faculty members has vowed not to attend commencement. Some alumni wrote a letter expressing worries that student protesters could be punished, noting Morehouse’s history of “celebrating student activists long after they have graduated.”
But the college might appear politically safer for the president to visit than many others. Morehouse is a custom-bound place where undergraduates traditionally do not step on the grass in the heart of campus until they receive their degrees. Alumni view commencement as a distinguished event not only for students but also for scores of family and community members — making it a less likely venue for a major disruption.
Kitty Bennett contributed research.
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