‘The Trail of Broken Promises’: Biden Recalls the Turmoil of Recent Years In Moving Graduation Speech About Loss and Hope
President Joe Biden gave the commencement address at Morehouse College on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia and offered a solemn promise to renew America’s commitment to democracy while recalling the turmoil of recent years.
The students at Morehouse College, a historically black men’s college in Atlanta, largely avoided the protests that have marked other such events across the country with only a handful of students turning their back on the president over his support for Israel.
Biden, delivering commencement address to Morehouse, talks about the car crash that killed his wife & daughter & the death of his son Beau.
“In this walk of life, you come to understand that we don’t know where or what fate will bring you. But we also know you don’t walk alone.” pic.twitter.com/gj82q85fDI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2024
Biden began his speech by recalling the pain of losing his first wife and daughter in a tragic car accident soon after being elected to the U.S. Senate in the 1970s. He spoke about how marrying Jill turned his life around and then his son Beau’s death from brain cancer.
“Our family became my redemption. Many of you have gone through similar or worse and even worse things. But you lean on others. They lean on you, and together you keep the faith in a better day tomorrow. But it’s not easy,” Biden said, adding:
I know four years ago, as some of your speakers have already mentioned. It felt like one of those Saturdays. The pandemic robbed you of so much. Some of you lost loved ones: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. They aren’t able to be here to celebrate with you today. Today you missed your high school graduation. You start a college just as George Floyd was murdered. And there was a reckoning on race. It’s natural to wonder. Does the democracy you hear about actually works for you? What is democracy? If Black men are being killed on the street. What is democracy? The trail of broken promises still leaves Black communities behind. What is democracy? You have to be ten times better than anyone else to get a fair shot.
Most of all, what does it mean? As we’ve heard before, to be a Black man who loves his country, even if it doesn’t love him back in equal measure. When I sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In front of the fireplace across from my desk. I have two busts one of Doctor King. One of Bobby Kennedy. I often find myself looking at those busts making decisions. I ask myself. Are we living up to what we say we are as a nation? And racism and poverty deliver jobs and justice to restore our leadership in the world. I look down and see the rosary on my wrist. That was that of my late son, and he had on him when he died at Walter Reed, I was with him. I asked myself, ‘What would he say?’ I know the answer because he told me in his last days. My son knew the days were numbered. Last conversation was, ‘Dad, I’m not afraid, but I’m worried. I’m worried you’re going to give up when I go. You’re going to give up.’
We have an expression in the Biden family when you want someone to know, give you your word and say, look at me. This limey, he said, ‘look at me, dad. Look at me. So give me your word. Give me your word as my father, that you will not quit. That you will stay engaged. Promise me. Dad. Stay engaged. Promise me. Promise me.’
I wrote a book called Promise Me, Dad, not for the public at large, although a lot of people ended up buying it. For my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to know who Beau Biden was. Rosary around my wrist. The busts in my office remind me that. Faith asks you to hold on to hope. To move heaven and earth. To make better days. Well, that’s my commitment to you. To show you democracy, democracy, democracy is still the way in. Black men are being killed in the street, we bear witness. For me, that means to call out the poison of white supremacy. To call out systemic racism.
Watch the clip above.
