Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden delivered the commencement address to the University of Delaware graduates. This would mark Biden’s fifth time delivering a commencement address to his alma mater.
Biden delivered a commencement address Saturday to students of the University of Delaware amidst a time when the country is mourning the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and in Uvalde, Texas. The US leader called on the over 6,000 students present to help the nation live up to its ideals.
“Your generation, more than anyone else, will have to answer the question; who are we? What do we stand for? What do we believe? Who will we be?” said Biden. “You can make the difference, you can lift the country up, you can meet the challenges of our time.”
“There’s one message I hope you take from me today: This is no time to be on the sidelines. We need all of you to get engaged in public life and the life of this nation,” said the US leader.
Biden also told graduates to keep in mind that “democracy is a human enterprise,” and this year’s graduates are also “the most generous, the most tolerant, the least prejudiced, the best educated” in the country’s history.
The US leader also touched on the recent mass shootings. The latest shooting was at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers. More than a week prior, a gunman espousing racist beliefs killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
The US leader also visited Uvalde, Texas Sunday to pay respects to the victims of the mass shooting while also speaking to the families of the victims.
The recent shooting renewed growing calls to pass legislation on gun reform, which Republicans in the Senate have unanimously opposed and has no chance of passing unless a change to the chamber’s filibuster is made.
Biden, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, were greeted with cheers during their visit, as well as calls to take action to make the country safer for children.