White Valedictorian at Morehouse!

It's my favorite story on Monday Morning and I heard it first on the CBS Morning news.Randal Pinkston, a contemporary of mine was reporting that Morehouse College, the historical and prestigious College in Atlanta had recorded another FIRST.

It's the only college in the country dedicated to educating and building African American males into scholars and world leaders. Martin Luther King is the most famous alumnus. Film maker Spike Lee and big screen actor Samuel Jackson are among the graduates of Morehouse. Robert Mallett, President of the Pfizer foundation, James Nabrit, former UN ambassador, Major Owen, retired US Congressman and Roderic Pettigrew, physician and nuclear physicist are also graduates.

On Sunday, Josh Packwood of Kansas City, Mo. joined the celebrated group of Morehouse men and he hasn't even started to make his mark in the world of work;
but Packwood is the FIRST white valedictorian of Morehouse and that's big news.

An article from the associated press is re-printed below but it hardly tells the entire story. My friend Randal is more on the mark.

Packwood's accomplishment isn't without some stress. Not everyone applauds his accomplishment; Some feel he takes a place that should be reserved for an African American; but those critics were reminded of Doctor King's words that one should be judged by the content of one's character.

Packwood has overcome some things that are well known in the tough streets..he bought, sold and used drugs. He was taken in by a family that was headed by an African American father...the family helped convince Josh to attend Morehouse over Columbia and Yale...
The results are historic.

ATLANTA (AP) -- From his first day at Morehouse College -- the country's only institution of higher learning dedicated to the education of black men -- Joshua Packwood has been a standout.

His popularity got him elected dorm president as a freshman. His looks and physique made him a fashion-show favorite. His intellect made him a Rhodes Scholar finalist. His work ethic landed him a job at the prestigious investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in New York City.

But it's his skin that has made all of this an anomaly. This month, Packwood is set to take the stage and address his classmates as the first white valedictorian in Morehouse's 141-year history.

The 22-year-old from Kansas City, Missouri, will graduate on May 18th with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a degree in economics.

He could have gone elsewhere, to a school like Columbia, Stanford or Yale, but his four-year journey through Morehouse has taught him a few things that they could not, and he makes it clear that he has no regrets.