#Socialites, get into this! President Joe Biden is slated to deliver a commencement address to the class of 2023 at Howard University!
Mr. Biden is all locked in to give the keynote address on May 13 at the college — a historically Black university that is also Vice President Kamala Harris’ alma mater.
Speaking about the exciting news, Wayne A. I. Frederick, President of Howard, said in a statement, “It is an honor and privilege to welcome President Biden to deliver the 2023 commencement address and celebrate the graduating Class of 2023. We are excited to receive the President as this year’s distinguished guest and recognize him for his relentless work uplifting our communities that have been historically left behind.”
Last month, VP Harris gave a powerful speech on abortion rights to Democratic activists and young voters at Howard. While there, she warned anti-abortion Republican leaders and conservatives to not “get in our way.”
“The true sign of a leader, the measure of a leader is not based on who you beat down and belittle,” Harris said at the historically Black institution. “It is based and measured on who you lift up.” Saying that she trusts women to make their own decisions, Harris said, “So don’t get in our way, because if you do, we’re going to stand up and we’re going to organize, and we’re going to speak up and we’re going to say we’re not having it.”
Earlier this month, Harris was also the keynote speaker at Tennessee State University. She also made a speech and highlighted how important HBCUs are.
“You see, HBCUs like this, well they are a cathedral of education,” said Harris during her May 7 commencement speech. “The value of this education is that it teaches you something very special — that yes, you can be anything and do anything.” As journalist Kyra Watts noted, Harris’ “speech left me teary-eyed and feeling prouder than ever to have graduated from an HBCU.”
Last year, award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson (BFA ’95) served as Howard’s commencement speaker. She was conferred an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, just before delivering her remarks.
“No matter how many stumbling blocks were thrown in my way, I was too grounded in who I am and whose I am to ever be knocked off my path. See, what Howard University instilled in me, Hollywood could never take away,” she said.
More On Biden’s Plans
From Howard, President Biden will then visit El Paso County, Colorado, to deliver a commencement address on June 1 to graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Prez previously mentioned he was going to deliver the address back in April during a ceremony presenting the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy to the academy’s football team, the Air Force Falcons.
He said at the time, “In a few weeks, I’ll be headed to your home turf for commencement and you’re going to get stuck with me being your commencement speaker,” Biden joked.
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