President Biden to deliver Howard U. commencement speech

President Joe Biden will be giving a commencement speech to Howard University’s Class of 2023 at D.C.’s Capital One Arena.

He will also get the honorary Doctor of Letters from a university that has been a main focus of the president and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is a Howard alum, during their time in office.

“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,” University President Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a statement. “I look forward to honoring President Biden, our honorary degree recipients, and graduating seniors at the Commencement Convocation.”

It comes at a time after he announced his 2024 bid for reelection in which the campaign will focus on turning out Black and young voters, which were largely responsible for his presidential victory in 2020.

HBCUs are still a priority for the Biden administration as he delivered almost $6 billion worth in investments to historically Black colleges and universities. To further highlight his support for HBCUs, Biden spoke at South Carolina State University’s fall commencement in 2021 and gave a virtual address to HBCU students in June of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden will be the first sitting president since Barack Obama in 2016 and seventh U.S. president to speak at Howard University’s commencement.

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