The National Deputy Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined other Morehouse College alumni, students, and faculty in expressing opposition to plans for President Biden to speak at the historically black college’s 2024 commencement and called on the school’s leadership to fully protect the right of students to express their concerns about the president’s support for the Gaza genocide, including through peaceful protests.
Video: CAIR’s Edward Ahmed Mitchell Says Morehouse Students Likely to Protest Biden Speech
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, a 2009 graduate of Morehouse College, said:
“As a graduate of Morehouse College and a civil rights attorney whose work has been inspired by the values of our historic institution, I am deeply disappointed to learn that President Biden plans to speak at the 2024 commencement while his administration funds the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza.
“Although I completely understand why Morehouse would normally want the President of the United States to speak at our commencement, our institution would never welcome any and every president to speak. George W. Bush would not have been welcome at the height of the Iraq War or in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Donald Trump would not have been welcome at any time.
“Because the White House still refuses to end our government’s military, financial and diplomatic support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza, President Biden should not speak at Morehouse’s commencement. His presence would distract from a celebration that should focus on students and their parents, send the wrong message about our institution’s principles, and break with the legacy of the Morehouse graduate that every Morehouse student strives to follow.”
“Near the end of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, he courageously risked his reputation and his relationships to speak out against an unjust war overseas. Criticizing Lyndon Johnson over Vietnam put Dr. King on the wrong side of the White House, Congress, the media, many Black civil rights leaders – and most Americans – but it put Dr. King on the right side of history. It would defy Dr. King’s legacy for his alma mater–the very same institution that helped mold his principles of non-violence–to now platform a President whose is enabling not only an unjust war overseas, but an actual genocide.
“If President Biden’s speech moves forward, Morehouse’s leadership must protect the right of every student and faculty member to peacefully make their voices heard. Peaceful protest is another part of Dr. King’s legacy, and no one should be surprised to see the Morehouse community live out his legacy in the coming weeks.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com, CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com