Biden will cap off a week of outreach to Black Americans with Morehouse commencement

President Biden is engaged in a flurry of events this week centered around the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that ended racial segregation in public schools, part of an intensified push to court Black voters crucial to his reelection bid.

On Sunday, he will give a closely watched commencement speech to Morehouse College, a historically Black university in Georgia.

Biden held a private meeting with plaintiffs and family members of plaintiffs from the Brown case on Thursday at the White House, and on Friday, he gave remarks at an NAACP event marking the Brown anniversary at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. On the weekend, he heads to the swing state of Michigan, where he'll address an NAACP dinner in Detroit.

The Biden campaign said the engagement was a signal of how the administration has prioritized issues important to Black voters — and how it is working to earn their support.

"We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote," said Trey Baker, a senior adviser to the campaign, in a memo.

Biden's other engagements include a meeting with the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities, and interviews with Black media outlets. On Sunday, he will also visit a Black-owned small business in Detroit, Baker said.

Polling shows lack of enthusiasm among Black voters

Black voters have long been the backbone of the Democratic party, and helped ensure Biden's win in 2020. But if turnout is lower this year compared to four years ago, it could hurt Biden's chances for reelection.

A recent survey from the Washington Post and Ipsos showed that only 62% of Black voters said that they are