The End of the Second World War: The Rise of Morehouse as a Relic of Gaza’s First Black Hole University and its Impact on HBCUs

Students have complained about Biden in regards to his handling of the war in Gaza. If protests became too disruptive, the university’s president told NPR, the graduation ceremonies would be stopped.

The Morehouse graduation would be canceled on the spot due to police taking people out of the ceremony in zip ties.

“The goal will be to make sure that we use this as an opportunity to continue to elevate the amazing work that’s been done at Morehouse over the last century and a half.”

He said that the Biden administration made investments in HBCUs. Since taking office, the Biden administration has funded $16 billion in support for HBCUs.

Biden paid tribute to Morehouse’s history. The college gave freed slaves education and training to become ministers after the Civil War.

“The founders of Morehouse understood something fundamental: education is linked to freedom,” he said. Being free means that no one will ever take away what you have.

The Insidious Little Rock Nine: Why We Are Here, What We Do, and How We Are Trying to Make Sense of Black Voting

The former President was blamed for ending diversity and inclusion programs by appointing justices to the Supreme Court who ended affirmation action for college admissions.

In his speech on Friday, Biden told the NAACP that “an extreme movement led by my predecessor and his MAGA allies” was today’s “insidious” version of the resistance faced by the Little Rock Nine in Arkansas, after the Brown decision.

Biden tried to explain more on in media appearances this week that just 38% of Black Americans feel that Biden’s policies have helped them.

A recent survey from the Washington Post and Ipsos showed that only 62% of Black voters said that they are absolutely certain to vote this year, compared to 74% this time in 2020.

Biden met with a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities, in addition to interviewing with Black media outlets. He will visit a Black-owned small business in Detroit on Sunday.

The campaign will not be parachuted into these communities at the last minute with the expectation of their votes, said a senior adviser in a memo.

The Biden campaign said that the engagement was a sign of how the administration prioritized issues important to Black voters and how it is trying to earn their support.

President Biden is engaged in a flurry of events this week centered around the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that ended racial segregation in public schools, part of an intensified push to court Black voters crucial to his reelection bid.

The Quiz: Billie Eilish Suggests a Novel Self-Awareness About Evil and the Loss of Evil

A quiz. Happy one year anniversary to the NPR News Quiz! How long have you been playing? See if you remember the answer to this week’s throwback bonus question.

The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC has hosted a premiere ofTurandot, one of the world’s most famous operas.

Music: Alongside her brother Finneas, Billie Eilish tells Morning Edition that she discovered a new self-awareness on her latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.

Honor Levy’s book provides an amusing take about what it is like to grow up being white, privileged, and Gen Z.

The question is, “Do evil doesn’t exist?” This Japanese movie about a group of people in a community who face off against a developer with big plans will leave you terrified and rapt.

During rattlesnake season in Arizona, the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary holds classes for the public and businesses. People who are trained to handle snakes learn that everything they think they know is a myth. Arizona saw a surge in rattlesnake bites in April.

Source: Biden focuses on outreach to Black Americans; Billie Eilish finds herself

NPR’s Andrea Hsu: Getting Your Grounds Together for Unions. The Up-Forward Journey Through Louisiana’s Disease Control Problem

The South has been a tough place for unions in the past, NPR’s Andrea Hsu says. The United Auto Workers Union has been trying to organize there for decades, but workers wouldn’t even listen. Hsu says there’s been some acknowledgement that the reason jobs even existed in the region was because it’s cheaper to make cars there. The UAW’s recent wins against the Big Three auto manufacturers has renewed interest in unionizing.

The drugs used in medical abortions could soon become a controlled dangerous substance in Louisiana. Access for these substances is controlled by the state and federal regulations due to the drug’s medical benefit and potential for abuse. A Louisiana bill that moved through the state legislature would place a 10 year prison sentence on anyone caught without a legitimate prescription for drugs. Doctors opposed to the decision say a “false perception that these are dangerous drugs” could lead to “fear and confusion among patients, doctors, and pharmacists, which delays care and worsens outcomes” in a state with high rates of maternal injury and death.

Good morning. It’s the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

In the lull between the last classes of the school year and the start of finals season, a trio of seniors convene on one of the Morehouse quads.

“We’re the COVID class of high school. So a lot of people didn’t get graduations,” he said. “And now it feels like [for] our college graduation … people are focusing more on the speaker.”

“Am I happy about Biden? Not really,” he sighs. “If everything about our graduation is about Biden, it’s going to be a problem for us and our families.”

Charles said, “I know there’s thoughts of protest,” adding that some folks in his class approached him to join a silent demonstration, turning his back on Biden as he speaks. “Because my family has pushed me to this point and supported me up until this point … I have an obligation to not turn my back.”

“I think it’s kind of insulting that our star alumnus is Dr. [Martin Luther] King, but Biden has been on a tirade in the Middle East,” said DeAngelo Fletcher. It’s kind of sad that he is coming here to get the young Black vote.

The Atlanta HBCU Alumni Association petitioned the administration to not invite President Biden to their event because of his support of Israel in the Gaza conflict.

The Biden administration says that they share the goal of a lasting peace in the Middle East. In recent weeks, Biden has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take steps so that an “immediate ceasefire” can be put in place and more aid distributed in the region.

Biden is set for the Morehouse graduation. Students are divided: Justin Darden, an HBCU student, and the Maroon Tiger

Yet underscoring that the civilian death toll is in the thousands, the alumni letter states that inviting President Biden is “a moral disaster and an embarrassment to the college.”

Protests have been inspired by similar sentiment at colleges. But these demonstrations haven’t been as prominent on historically Black campuses.

But Fletcher does not know if he would protest Biden himself. He and his friends want to concentrate on their family at graduation.

According to Justin Darden — a senior with Morehouse’s student newspaper, the Maroon Tiger — almost the entire Morehouse senior class is caught in this same limbo.

The Maroon Tiger reported that last fall, students across the Atlanta University Center — made up of Morehouse, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Morris Brown College — hosted events in support of Palestinians and demanded their school administrations take stances against the war in Gaza.

Anwar Karim is an organizer involved in some of that planning. But after participating in a student encampment at Emory University that was forcibly cleared by law enforcement, he’s cautious.

“I can tell you from being there, that there were a lot more melanated folk who got arrested and got targeted and got harassed than white people,” he said. “So we’re taking all of that into consideration as an HBCU.”

“So those of us who are standing on the right side of history in this Morehouse and AUC family… we have morals and we have humanity,” he continued. The administration brings a president to the school that does not reflect how we feel.

Source: Biden is set for the Morehouse graduation. Students are divided

Biden is set for the Morehouse graduation. Students are divided: a narrative of a black voter’s election campaign in South Carolina

The Black vote in South Carolina was instrumental in his victory on Super Tuesday in 2020, starting a wave of momentum that propelled him through November. In Georgia — a swing state — Biden’s looking to spark the same kind of support amongst what has been the Democrats most reliable voting bloc.

It’s not surprising that he’d target Morehouse because of his concern that his support among Black men may be waning, according to Andra.

She said that presidents and first ladies have used HBCU graduations to convey their agendas since the 1960s. More recently, Biden is following in the footsteps of former President Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama, who expanded this type of outreach.

It’s quite appropriate to think that there was an intention to get this particular audience for a political reason. Biden still has a chance to capture the hearts of people by giving a passionate speech.

Morehouse extended a formal invitation to the White House in September, before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel. But as the war intensified — and calls for Thomas to rescind the invitation grew — he said he never reconsidered his decision.

He said Morehouse has a duty not to cancel or alter the celebration of the school year. In his words, that would make Morehouse a “plain, vanilla” institution.

Source: Biden is set for the Morehouse graduation. Students are divided

“You don’t wanna listen”: Joe Biden and the “Morehouse mystique” of a High-School Student

Speaking at a press briefing at the White House Thursday, Benjamin also said President Biden respects people’s right to protest and he “makes it a point to lean in when there are protesters in the very same space.”

“Joe Biden [has] done things that might have been seen as controversial in his past,” said Ronald David, a sophomore. “But still, it’s important for you to have those people who may disagree with you.”

He says if it were his graduation, he’d rather have someone Black — echoing a widespread sentiment on campus. But David adds that Biden might learn something from what folks call the “Morehouse mystique.”

“Just because we don’t necessarily resonate or agree with Joe Biden or think that he’s the best speaker, it’s important not to shun him or say that he isn’t the best speaker or shouldn’t be speaking and, instead, welcome that unity.”