Morehouse College will welcome Joseph R. Biden, the 46th President of the United States of America, as its keynote speaker for the 140th Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 19 the school announced on Tuesday. President Biden will also receive a honorary doctorate from the Atlanta HBCU.
In addition to presenting an honorary doctorate to Biden, the college will also award Dr. Michael Lomax, a Morehouse alum, with an honorary doctorate as well. Lomax is the president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), who is celebrating 20 years of service to the organization. Lomax is a 1968 graduate of Morehouse.
The speech at Morehouse will be one of two that Biden delivers in the month of May. He’ll also speak at the commencement for the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 25, according to the White House. Biden is no stranger to HBCU commencements, most recently he delivered the address to Howard University at its 2023 spring commencement. Howard has had five presidential commencement speeches throughout history, the most of any HBCU. Then vice president Biden also delivered the 141st Commencement Address at Morgan State University and received an honorary doctor of public service degree on May 20, 2017.
Morehouse also plans to celebrate milestone alumni anniversaries during commencement week including Spike Lee and Martin Luther King III, both 1979 graduates. Actor Brian Tyree Henry, a 1999 graduate, will be celebrated as well.
In 2013, Barack Obama was the first sitting president to deliver a commencement address at Morehouse College.