Morehouse College President David A. Thomas said Thursday he would shut down commencement ceremonies “on the spot” rather than allow police to remove student protesters in zip ties during President Joe Biden’s graduation speech.
There’s far more nuance than the headline suggests. He said he’d stop commencement specifically if the cops came to arrest people. He also asked no one shout down the president.
Thomas said the college would allow silent, non-disruptive protest, even students turning their chairs or theirs backs on Biden – which, he said, would embarrass him.
“As long as you don’t conduct yourselves in a way that deprives others from being able to participate, consume and celebrate this moment,” said Thomas, who has led Morehouse since 2018.
“Silent protests. You want to walk across the stage in a piece of garment that identifies your moral connection to either side of this conflict because we also have Jewish students here, you can do that.”
They’ll be a lot of protests, but they’ll keep it civil
There’s far more nuance than the headline suggests. He said he’d stop commencement specifically if the cops came to arrest people. He also asked no one shout down the president.
He did not request zero protest.
That makes a lot more sense
They’ll be a lot of protests, but they’ll keep it civil