This weekend Joshua Packwood will officially be the first white valedictorian to graduate from the historically black, all male Morehouse College in the school’s 141-year history.
Joshua grew up in a poor area of Missouri, where he says he found himself gravitating to the black community at a young age.His mother’s second marriage to a black man ended in divorce which forced him to seek refuge with his best friend’s family – who were black and middle-class. It was the experience of living with his best friend’s family Joshua says, helped him see a “different side of black America.”
Joshua maintained a 4.0 grade point average during his four years in high school, was a Rhodes Scholar finalist and was offered a full scholarship to Columbia University. So why go against your families better judgement and turn down an Ivy League school to attend the all-black men’s university?
“I gained this interest in African-American studies and I thought that Morehouse would probably be the best experience,” says Packwood. “I think of it in terms of ‘study abroad.’ If I really want to learn it, if I really want to understand it – maybe it’s best if I immerse myself in the culture.”
attending a black college came naturally to Packwood, who attended a predominantly black high school.
“A large majority of my friends, like all my girlfriends have been minorities,” says Packwood. “So it was very, it was kind of strange that I always kind of gravitated to the black community.” [ Continue Reading » ]
How do ya’ll feel about the situation? Should Morehouse allow a non-black Male to be Valedictorian?
[poll id=”24″]
