History was made at Morehouse College this past weekend. Joshua Packwood graduated the HBCU as its first white valedictorian. A white Morehouse Man!!
But Packwood, 22, doesn’t stand out solely because he is white or has maintained a 4.0 grade point average. For those who don’t know him, what is surprising is that a Rhodes Scholar finalist turned down a full scholarship to Columbia University to attend the all-black men’s university.
This was all over the local news stations here in Atlanta, the home of Martin Luther King, Jr. Some people were upset…let me rephrase that…some black people were upset. No surprise there but if you’re one of those who is upset – you just need to go ahead and get over yourselves…for real!!
For the most part, Packwood says the experience among his Morehouse brethren has been overwhelmingly good – with the exception of a few negative comments.
“One guy came up to me and told me — he didn’t like the fact that I was here,” recalls Packwood. “He absolutely didn’t like the fact that I dated black women.” [Source] Pleas
e read the full story!
Well HOT DAYUM!!! Intelligent and fine? Shiiiiit, I’d date him too!! Hell, I’d marry him and have a house full of caramel colored babies!!
Dont’ get upset because this fine ass young man came on “your” yard, outperformed you in the classroom, AND minimized the pool of black women from which you had your pick! HATER!!! Had you been on your game this wouldn’t have phased you. More importantly, being there at Morehouse you should be quite familiar with the teachings and preachings of MLK, Jr. Remember that part about being judged on the “content of your character and not the color of your skin”? What, does that only apply to black people? Hmm, how convenient.
Congratulations Joshua “sexy fine-ass, intelligent, white MOREhouse Man” Packwood!!
I Am Chocl8t 
You go Choc! He is a hottie! Smart men always made me melt!
Jeez louise…are drooling that much over him!?! I wish I could say I was mad at the man but I am not besides we all know white people when they go to HBCUs get all the grants and monies that people of color would get when they go to white schools. I don’t know if he did that necessarily but it is definitely possible and a probable cause for him to go to a black school. Plus I read he has a black step father and mixed siblings so it is not all that stretch for him to enter to the black world so to speak. He was already introduced to it before he attended Morehouse.
I still get a little jealous when I hear of a black women dating a white guy but as you said I’m getting over it.
Okay now wipe the drool off your keyboard!-lol
@CM – I do think the young man was there on a scholarship. I’m not drooling too much because he is far too young for me. However, I have no problem admiring some nice eye candy when I see it and to top it off…he’s intelligent! Lethal combination! LOL
LOL sometimes black folks need to stop looking for reasons to be mad/upset. This is such a positive story…nothing at all to hate on (and yes indeed he would make me explore the light side indeed lol)
Dudes need to stop trippin cause history says that SOME of those same men at morehouse who are upset that he dates black woman would get successful and trade in their sistagirls for a white woman quick. I’m just sayin.
@ Jaila – ya preachin to the choir girl!!! 😀
Believe me as much as I hate to admit I have thought of venturing to the other side of the chocolate candy isle (mmm… a fellow student teacher from my undergrad days comes to mind) buuuuut my senses or something else prevailed. Though I know attraction is possible regardless of skin color and other factors.
We have to be careful with this whole valedictorian thing. It could end up being a double edged sword. Yeah its great that he chose Morehouse over columbia and harvard but then look he ended up being valedictorian, would he have been so at one of the other schools? I fear that this will make it seem like hey any white person thinking of going to one of the IVY league schools can take the “easy” route and go to an HBCU and be valedictorian. I know this is small minded thinking but if I am thinking it (and I know it is garbage as there are plenty of good quality HBCUs) but small minded people will make this into something it shouldn’t be. Just a thought.
Maybe this decent young man wanted to go to Morehouse because he heard what a wonderful school it was to attend. Maybe he was more comfortable there, than he would have been at Columbia. Maybe he worked his but off to let everyone know that he was there to get an education, nothing more. I applaud the professors at Morehouse for teaching this young man well. I applaud him for studying hard and endeavoring to make something of himself. I have a biracial grandson, and would consider it an honor for him to know this young man. He has clearly been raised by a wonderful family.
@ Jsnana
That maybe the case but others may not see it that way. I am just offering another perspective on how this may look to some.
Seems to me that it’s a case of a big fish who wanted to star in a “small pond”. Columbia University is one of the top 10 universities in the nation. Morehouse College is not even ranked in the top 100. In fact, it’s a “third tier” liberal arts school.
A comparable analogy would be a football player who had a scholarship to Florida, LSU, USC, or Texas, but rejected it to go to Grambling or FAMU. He would be a star in the SWAC or MEAC, and may set school records. But would he be all that special if he had played at Florida, LSU, USC, or Texas??
See the above comment proves my point, some people do think this way.
Or they oould simply be reading something more into the situation.
Or they could be posting things anonymously in the hopes of getting a rise out of the blog author and the readers. Don’t go for the bait. 😉
Yes -Josh is a cutie! I am proud of the young man.
I graduated from an HBCU over a decade ago and I commend this young man for his accomplishments. I think that he’s amazing for what he has done as I would anyone else of any color. However, I’m desperately trying not to focus on how unbelievably gorgeous he is.
😉
i don’t have a problem with it because he earned it. for those who have a problem, step up to the plate and make sure it doesn’t happen again. that is, have all a’s so that you can be val.
I just finished my junior year at Spelman and I’ve met Josh on several occasions, and he is a really nice and down to earth guy. However, Morehouse has had valedictorians for the past 141 years and I don’t think its right that he get all of this press for the simple fact that he’s white. I mean its difficult to graduate from college with a 4.0 but he’s not the first one to do it. And sure maybe it was difficult for him to be a white student at an HBCU but there are black people who live in this world and are constantly reminded of the fact that they are a minority. Yet, they still excel at the things they do and I don’t see them getting interviews on CNN. So while this maybe a hot story I believe all of the media attention is unneccesary and somewhat inaccurate of its depiction of the both Morehouse College and the Atlanta University Center.
It’s synomous to what some whites say about us.
Black folks that is.
The media and press already in on the fix.
This boy was already highly intelligent.
He could go tier one and still get a full scholarship.
Basically, it was a non story.
Written, it was, no one denied glory.
He’ll excel in life, working on Wall Street Ave.
Like we needed a news report to announce: he’ll be a rich young man.
peace.
This iis a great blog