Biden Urges Howard University Graduates to Stand Up Against White Supremacy and Racism

President Joe Biden addressed the graduating class of Howard University, a leading historically Black university, on Saturday, warning of the dangers of white supremacy and racism.

In his address, Biden spoke of the need to recognize and confront the history of racism in the United States. He said, “American history has not always been a fairy tale, and racism has long torn us apart.” He also warned that “hate never goes away” and that “silence is complicity.”

Biden also addressed the recent bomb scares made to HBCUs, or historically Black colleges and universities, saying that these threats are a reminder of the dangers of white supremacy. He urged the graduates to “stand up for the best in us” and to confront the threats to American democracy and to suppress Black history.

More than a dozen Howard University students stood with their backs to Biden during his speech, holding handmade signs in silent protest over what they said were many forms of white supremacist violence.

Biden concluded his address by saying, “We have to be the generation that ends hate, that ends racism, that ends white supremacy.” He urged the graduates to “be the generation that stands up for justice, for truth, for equality, for opportunity, for freedom, for democracy.”