President Biden delivers commencement speech at Atlanta college

ATLANTA (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - President Joe Biden delivered the commmencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta Sunday morning, his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas War.

In a nod to the pro-Palestine sentiment among morehouse students and faculty, Biden reiterated his calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, more humanitarian aid in the region and support for a two-state solution that would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state.

As Biden took the stage, graduating students remained seated and silent, even as older alumni nearby cheered and a handful of students in the crowd sat turned away from him.

"Democracy is also about hearing and heeding your generations called or community free of gun violence and a planet free of climate crisis and showing your power to change the world. But also know some of you asked. What is democracy? We can't stop wars and breakout and break our hearts. In a democracy, we debate and dissent about America's role in the world. I want to say this very clearly. I support peaceful nonviolent protests. Your voices should be heard. I promise you I hear them."

President Joe Biden

Though biden did not reference the action directly, his remarks touched on the "anger and frustration" felt by many Americans over the war, including by members of his own family.

"Because one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world there's nothing easy about it. I know that anger and frustration many of you including my family, but most of all, I know it breaks your heart breaks mine as well. Leadership is about fighting through the most intractable problems. It's about challenging anger, frustration and heartbreak to find a solution, it's about doing what you believe is right, even when it's hard and lonely."

President Joe Biden