ATLANTA, May 15, 2008

Unlikely First At Historic Black College

Morehouse College To Graduate First White Valedictorian In 141-Year History

  • Play CBS Video Video Historic First At Morehouse

    Racial barriers were broken at Morehouse College, after Joshua Packwood graduated as the school's first white valedictorian in its 141 year history. Randall Pinkston reports.

  • Morehouse College 2008 class valedictorian Josh Packwood, 22, of Kansas City , Mo., second from right, talks to junior Brandon Douglas, left. Packwood stands out not only because of his grade point average but he is also one of the few white faces at the historically black college. Photo

    Morehouse College 2008 class valedictorian Josh Packwood, 22, of Kansas City , Mo., second from right, talks to junior Brandon Douglas, left. Packwood stands out not only because of his grade point average but he is also one of the few white faces at the historically black college.  (AP Photo/John Amis)

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(CBS/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, Mo., will graduate on May 18 with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a degree in economics.

Speaking about his experience with CBS' The Early Show, Packwood relished his time at Morehouse. "It has really helped me dig deep
down inside and really look for what makes me, me," Packwood said.

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.

"I've been forced to see the world in a different perspective, that I don't think I could've gotten anywhere else," he said. "None of the Ivies, no matter how large their enrollment is, no matter how many Nobel laureates they have on their faculty ... none of them could've provided me with the perspective I have now."


When Packwood applied to Morehouse, he had frequent conversations with George Gray, an alumnus who was a recruiter at the school. Gray was impressed by Packwood's credentials and spent months trying to talk the sought-after senior into choosing Morehouse over other elite schools.

"He had outstanding numbers," said Gray, now director of admissions at historically black Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark. "He was the kind of kid we were looking for to be a presidential scholar."

After several conversations, Packwood began to suspect that Gray had no idea that he was white. His suspicions were confirmed when one of Gray's calls caught Packwood in the middle of track practice.

"Don't let the white kids walk you down," Gray quipped.

"Wait," Packwood responded. "You know I'm white, right?"

Silence. Uneasy laughter. Confirmation.

"The challenge was to get the best student that we could, and Josh definitely fit that," Gray said.

And for Packwood, knowing that he had been picked on his merits, and not as a token white recruit, made the difference.

"That said I could come here and, ironically, be accepted for who I am," Packwood said. "I thought I made the right decision then, and I know I made the right decision now."

It was not as if this was the first time Packwood experienced life in the minority. He was among the few white students in his class at Grandview Senior High School in Kansas City, Mo. He has mixed-race siblings and his mother was married to a black man. Packwood's experiences growing up have helped him navigate black culture while remaining comfortable with his own complexion.

Packwood's mere presence on campus wouldn't make history at this school founded by a black minister and cabinetmaker two years after the end of the Civil War. Howard Zehr, Morehouse's first white student, graduated in 1966, and there have been dozens of other whites on campus since.

And so Packwood turned down Columbia University, postponing his dream of living in New York City. He ignored some in his family who warned that he might not have the same opportunities he would have as a Columbia graduate, and headed South.

Packwood still laughs when he remembers his first day on campus, wandering the grounds in pajama pants and getting stares from black classmates who wondered if the freshman wasn't a wayward student from Georgia Tech, Georgia State or perhaps Emory University.

After convincing the photographer to take his student ID, Packwood headed to his room in Brazeal Hall. Shortly after, his roommate arrived with his mother. Four years later, Packwood still can't get over the irony: After years of being one of a few blacks at majority-white schools in Dallas, Phillip Smithey had come to Morehouse to get the "black experience."

Instead, he was sharing a room with the only white guy in his class.


When he came to Morehouse, Packwood was sweating a bit under his swagger, which is why he was reluctant to run for president of his dorm at the end of his freshman year. The novelty was wearing off, but Packwood didn't want his new friends to think he was the white guy trying to "act black" or take over their school.

Quote

A lot of the professors and students have been like, 'No, don't hold back. We want your perspective here. If we're not going to get it from you, it's going to be very difficult for us to get it somewhere else.

Joshua Packwood
Morehouse valedictorian
Classes proved to be a challenge socially and academically when the discussions shifted to issues of race. Once, Packwood was asked to sit on a panel about interracial relationships. Though he had dated black girls since high school, he spent the first hour of the panel getting warmed up, feeling out the crowd and trying to couch his thoughts.

"It was kind of heated, and there were very strong views on both sides," he said. "But eventually I realized they put me on the panel not to just pander to the crowd, but to voice my opinion."

Packwood said such exchanges taught him a lesson.

"Sometimes I kind of wanted to hold back," he acknowledged. "A lot of the professors and students have been like, 'No, don't hold back. We want your perspective here. If we're not going to get it from you, it's going to be very difficult for us to get it somewhere else."'

Both students and faculty, he said, seemed to appreciate his honesty.

"The few times I have held back and tried to pick my words wisely or even go against what I truly believe, that's when I've caught the most flak," he said.

With each semester, Packwood's grades remained high, his confidence grew and his resume became more impressive. Summers were spent on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, he studied abroad in London and Costa Rica, and his studies have taken him to China and Switzerland.

He also drew attention with his looks - some Atlanta University Center coeds took to calling him "Tom Cruise." His photo album on Facebook shows a smiling Packwood posing with dozens of young, black women who fill his page with notes.

As Morehouse embraced him, Packwood became an unlikely ambassador for the school.

"Josh Packwood is Morehouse," the college's president, Robert Franklin, said in his inauguration speech in February. "He happens to be Euro-American and brings much appreciated diversity to our campus."

Wendell Marsh, a junior English and French major who is black, said talking to Packwood as a high school senior helped make up his mind to come to Morehouse.

"Right now we live in a time where people say the black institution is obsolete, that you can get a better education at a majority institution," Marsh said. "To see a white guy who had declined Harvard for Morehouse, I figured it was good enough for me."

Packwood raised "the bar for everyone," said Stanton Fears, a senior economics major.

"The best man got it, that's how I look at it," Fears said. "It's about equality here, too. If he wants to come here and make a name for himself, he should be allowed the same types of things we're allowed."

Being surrounded by black men for his undergraduate career has taught him more about diversity, Packwood said.

"I've been here for four years and yet, I cannot give you the definition of black," he said. "I cannot tell you what a black man is. I really learned to look much deeper. It takes a lot of effort to know people."

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Add a Comment See all 50 Comments
by downtowner97 May 15, 2008 11:01 AM PDT
That''s funny no matter who you are.
Reply to this comment
by slaphappy86 May 15, 2008 11:25 AM PDT
My lifetime goal is to create and get acredited an all white university.
Reply to this comment
by republic1776 May 15, 2008 11:33 AM PDT
We must get past this.
It''s NOT right that an institution can operate in the United States based on skin color, and brag about it.
This is racism.
Reply to this comment
by kesac4650 May 15, 2008 12:04 PM PDT
Was he the first white to go there? He sure seems to have left those other people in the dust.
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 12:22 PM PDT
AN ALL WHITE SCHOOL WOULDN''T LET A BLACK KID ENROLL. PERIOD.

AN ALL BLACK SCHOOL WILL STILL ACCEPT OTHER RACES. END OF DEBATE.
Reply to this comment
by blackyowe May 15, 2008 12:23 PM PDT
Someone has to make a movie of this its such a great story. What a unusual guy! I bet he marries a nice black girl! I love it. It''s nice to read something like this. Let''s hope having Obama around changes allot of ideas as well on both sides of the racial devide!
Reply to this comment
by shawnp1968 May 15, 2008 12:39 PM PDT
AN ALL WHITE SCHOOL WOULDN''''T LET A BLACK KID ENROLL. PERIOD.

AN ALL BLACK SCHOOL WILL STILL ACCEPT OTHER RACES. END OF DEBATE.


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Posted by MegamanX1 at 12:22 PM : May 15, 2008


Hey D I P S H I T............ There are no "white only" schools!!! Your argument has no merit! and by the way... can''t you just be happy that another kid has risen above adversity and received an outstanding education, regardless of the color of his skin???

Get over yourself...and remember, "the man" ain''t holding you down... you''re holding yourself down!!!
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 12:45 PM PDT
Hey D I P S H I T............ There are no "white only" schools!!! Your argument has no merit! and by the way... can''''t you just be happy that another kid has risen above adversity and received an outstanding education, regardless of the color of his skin???

Get over yourself...and remember, "the man" ain''''t holding you down... you''''re holding yourself down!!!


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Posted by SHAWNP1968 at 12:39 PM : May 15, 2008

UMM MORON, I DIDN''T SAY ANY OF THAT *** YOU JUST SPEWED ABOVE. THAT''S YOUR PROBLEM, YOU CAN''T EVEN READ WHAT WAS WRITTEN...LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU DUMBASSS....

HISTORICALLY, WHEN SCHOOLS WERE SEGREGATED, AND MANY WERE ALL WHITE, A BLACK KID COULD NOT ENROLL.

HERE WE HAVE A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE WITH WHITE ENROLLMENT.

FACTS. IT''S NOT MY PROBLEM WHITE PEOPLE CAN''T BE INCLUSIVE.

DOES DUMMY UNDERSTAND NOW??

OR DO I NEED TO DRAW YOU A PICTURE??
Reply to this comment
by shawnp1968 May 15, 2008 12:56 PM PDT
Hey moron... segregation ended in the 60''s!!! Wake up and catch up. You are trying to make arguments with what "used to be"........ try sticking with "WHAT IS!!"
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 12:59 PM PDT
MY CAPSLOCK IS BROKEN FOR YOUR INFORMATION. I NEED A NEW KEYBOARD. AND STOP USING A THESAURUS TO FIND BIG WORDS TO SAY SIMPLE THINGS. IT DOESN''T IMPRESS ANYBODY. AND I USED PROFANITY BECAUSE PROFANITY WAS USED AGAINST ME IF YOU LOOK AT SHAWNP REDNECK SINCE 1968''S MESSAGE EARLIER.
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 1:01 PM PDT
Hey moron... segregation ended in the 60''''s!!! Wake up and catch up. You are trying to make arguments with what "used to be"........ try sticking with "WHAT IS!!"


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Posted by SHAWNP1968 at 12:56 PM : May 15, 2008

SIGH...DOES IT HURT BEING AN IDIOT?? I JUST SAID WHAT IS. A HISTORICALLY BLACK SCHOOL WITH WHITE ENROLLMENT AND NOW A WHITE VALEDICTORIAN. WE ARE INCLUSIVE. YOU ARE NOT. GOD YOU''RE SLOW...
Reply to this comment
by shawnp1968 May 15, 2008 1:02 PM PDT
I was just tryiong to communicate with you in a way you could understand!!!

I can tell you are one of those blacks that runs around crying about racism all the time... in in the meanwhile, you ARE a racist biggot!!!
Like I said before, the only person holding you back... is you! Stop blaming everyone else for your incompetence (got that out of the thesaurus... like it?)
Reply to this comment
by andrew_693 May 15, 2008 1:02 PM PDT
This kid is an example to everyone, I wish more white kids would enroll and get this interaction and incredible experience, there will be more..... and things are changing. The thing about education is that you have to challenge yourself to learning new things, to constantly challenge your viewpoints otherwise it''s a waste of time. Someone that was accepted into Harvard, Stanford and Columbia turned those snobs down for this college, he deserves a medal of honor, that takes courage and definitely integrity. If he ever runs for president and I don''t care what party, he is getting my vote.
Reply to this comment
by theoldman56 May 15, 2008 1:05 PM PDT
I am a true son of the south, but my Father taught me that judging a person by the color of their skin is no different than judging them by the color of their hair or eyes. It''s just stupid. If you must judge a person then judge them by their action that is the only true test of who a person is.

Reply to this comment
by shawnp1968 May 15, 2008 1:08 PM PDT
I see you like using the word "historically" alot...... because you would rather live in the past instead of the present. If you didn''t know... there are no "white only schools" anymore. As a black man or woman you can go to any school you want, if you meet the requirements... just like the white kids.

Reply to this comment
by shawnp1968 May 15, 2008 1:10 PM PDT
DaVicar2........ That''s not segregation..... that''s racism. I never claimed that racism doesn''t still exist, but there is no law prohibiting a black or a white from going anywhere or doing anything that the other can do.
Reply to this comment
by missingamerica May 15, 2008 1:11 PM PDT
Wish there had been some comments from this guy about any difference in diversity that he might have noticed between his school years at Morehouse and his summer stints at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs...
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 1:19 PM PDT
I was just tryiong to communicate with you in a way you could understand!!!

I can tell you are one of those blacks that runs around crying about racism all the time... in in the meanwhile, you ARE a racist biggot!!!
Like I said before, the only person holding you back... is you! Stop blaming everyone else for your incompetence (got that out of the thesaurus... like it?)



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Posted by SHAWNP1968 at 01:02 PM : May 15, 2008

I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ANYONE HOLDING ME BACK...WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS C.R.A.P. FROM?? YOU SAID THAT. TWICE. I WAS REFERRING TO THIS ARTICLE AND YOU START SPEWING ABOUT "WHITEY NOT HOLDING ME BACK." I NEVER ONCE MADE ANY REFERENCES TO MYSELF AT ALL. GET A GRIP SON. YOU HAVE A GUILTY CONCIOUS OR SOMETHING?
Reply to this comment
by rosesnpearls May 15, 2008 1:23 PM PDT
Do not label him, he is not a "Euro-american" - WHAT is that? He is an American. Whites do not go around adding ethnicities or the names of other countries to their national identities - they are simply Americans, and all American citizens should be proud to be Americans, or United States citizens.
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 1:24 PM PDT
No, having neighborhoods where only one race is allowed to EXIST without being lynched, mugged, stabbed, or shot, is true segregation.
Passing a LAW does not make the end of anything! Its illegal to speed on the highway, there are laws against it...but we havent abolished speeding because we made it illegal. The civil rights act does not MARK THE END of segregation, no by a long shot!


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Posted by DaVicar2 at 01:16 PM : May 15, 2008

IN SHAWNP''S MIND IT DOES. ONE DAY BACK IN THE 1960''S THEY PASSED A LAW AND POOF! THE NEXT DAY NOBODY WAS RASCIST AND WE ALL LIVED IN HARMONY AND BLACKS ARE TREATED AS EQUALS.....MUST BE NICE TO LIVE IN A DREAM WORLD......
Reply to this comment
by shawnp1968 May 15, 2008 1:28 PM PDT
MegamanX1..... Let me put this as simple a as I can so that you will understand it. (hopefully)

I am a white man who is going to vote for Barack Obama because I believe in his leadership abilities, I agree with his agenda, and I think he will take this country in the right direction.

You are a black man who is going to vote for Barack Obama because he is black.

Did I hit the nail on the head there for ya??? You shouldn''t need your thesaurus to figure this one out.
Reply to this comment
by theoldman56 May 15, 2008 1:31 PM PDT
Racism exist simply because human nature demands that we have someone else to blame for our own shortcomings, regardless of who we are or the color of our skin. Before racism, we blamed the British and the Spanish and the French. We must all learn to take responsibility for our own actions. I wonder if Aliens from outer space showed up tomorrow, if we would start blaming them for all that%u2019s wrong in our lives? Maybe then we would stop blaming each other.
Reply to this comment
by shawnp1968 May 15, 2008 1:34 PM PDT
You 2 clowns are confusing segregation and ignorance. If you are living in a neigborhood like that... you are obviously surrounded by ignorant, uneducated people.
Reply to this comment
by ccdsswrkr08 May 15, 2008 1:36 PM PDT
IN SHAWNP''''S MIND IT DOES. ONE DAY BACK IN THE 1960''''S THEY PASSED A LAW AND POOF! THE NEXT DAY NOBODY WAS RASCIST AND WE ALL LIVED IN HARMONY AND BLACKS ARE TREATED AS EQUALS.....MUST BE NICE TO LIVE IN A DREAM WORLD......


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Posted by MegamanX1 at 01:24 PM : May 15, 2008


Shawmp''s not saying that raceism doesn''t exist. Read his post. He''s saying that today, Segregation is illegal. No one is legally allowed to discriminate against someone when it comes to where they live, go to school, or work. That doesn''t mean it doesn''t happen. Shawmp''s point is there is no law that says that all white people have to live together and all black people have to live together.
Reply to this comment
by randynason May 15, 2008 1:36 PM PDT
There is no distinction with regard to skin color, sexual preference or religious preference, only difference with regard to bigotry, intollerence and prejudice. Education encourages the former, fear causes the latter.
Reply to this comment
by krenz4 May 15, 2008 1:48 PM PDT
Gee,ShawnP1968, you really are wasting your talent! You are the authority on all things that have to do with being black!!! Amazing. I need for you to tell me what kind of ''black'' I am.. Please enlighten me? Please tell me how I should feel, tell me why, as a bllack woman, I should not vote my conscience....just my race. Please, tell us!
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 1:48 PM PDT
MegamanX1..... Let me put this as simple a as I can so that you will understand it. (hopefully)

I am a white man who is going to vote for Barack Obama because I believe in his leadership abilities, I agree with his agenda, and I think he will take this country in the right direction.

You are a black man who is going to vote for Barack Obama because he is black.

Did I hit the nail on the head there for ya??? You shouldn''''t need your thesaurus to figure this one out.


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Posted by SHAWNP1968 at 01:28 PM : May 15, 2008

OH GOD, NOW WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BARACK OBAMA. YOU CAN''T STAY ON SUBJECT CAN YOU?

LISTEN, I COULD TELL BY YOUR EARLIER POSTS YOU ARE WHITE YOU DIDN''T NEED TO TELL ME THAT.

SECONDLY, I''M WELL VERSED ON OBAMA''S POLICIES AND AGENDAS SO DON''T SUGGEST THAT I DON''T. YOU''RE PROBABLY NOT EVEN VOTING FOR HIM SO YOU CAN STOP WITH THE ACT.

THIRDLY, YOU ARE MAKING SWEEPING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ME, THE WAY I VOTE, AND ANY OTHER C.R.A.P. YOU CAN COME UP WITH. EVRYTHING I HAVE SAID ABOUT YOU IS BASED OFF THE GARBAGE YOU POST.

LASTLY, I GAVE FACTS, YOU COULDN''T HANDLE THEM, SO YOU CALLED ME A D.I.P.S.H.I.T. DON''T BLAME ME BECAUSE THE TRUTH HURTS. IM JUST THE MESSENGER.

YOU''RE DONE.

Reply to this comment
by mjvw2 May 15, 2008 1:48 PM PDT
good for him
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 1:50 PM PDT
Gee,ShawnP1968, you really are wasting your talent! You are the authority on all things that have to do with being black!!! Amazing. I need for you to tell me what kind of ''''black'''' I am.. Please enlighten me? Please tell me how I should feel, tell me why, as a bllack woman, I should not vote my conscience....just my race. Please, tell us!


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Posted by Krenz4 at 01:48 PM : May 15, 2008

YEAH HE''S GOT US ALL FIGURED OUT...
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 May 15, 2008 2:11 PM PDT
Posted by SHAWNP1968 at 12:39 PM : May 15, 2008

UMM MORON, I DIDN''''T SAY ANY OF THAT *** YOU JUST SPEWED ABOVE. THAT''''S YOUR PROBLEM, YOU CAN''''T EVEN READ WHAT WAS WRITTEN...LET ME SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU DUMBASSS....

HISTORICALLY, WHEN SCHOOLS WERE SEGREGATED, AND MANY WERE ALL WHITE, A BLACK KID COULD NOT ENROLL.

HERE WE HAVE A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE WITH WHITE ENROLLMENT.

FACTS. IT''''S NOT MY PROBLEM WHITE PEOPLE CAN''''T BE INCLUSIVE.

DOES DUMMY UNDERSTAND NOW??

OR DO I NEED TO DRAW YOU A PICTURE??


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Posted by MegamanX1 at 12:45 PM

Excellent post to a bigot.
Reply to this comment
by theoldman56 May 15, 2008 2:13 PM PDT
To: MegamanX1 and ShawnP1968

Both of you should be ashamed of your selves!

This is a story of courage, hope and tolerance, not only by Mr. Packwood but also the other students and faculty. As passionate as you both seem to be about your viewpoint, neither of you seem to have the convection to try to make things better. This is a great story, but rather than trying to build upon it, the two of you want to tare it down by exhibiting the kind of behavior that that it seeks to over come. Grow up children. If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 2:19 PM PDT
To: MegamanX1 and ShawnP1968

Both of you should be ashamed of your selves!

This is a story of courage, hope and tolerance, not only by Mr. Packwood but also the other students and faculty. As passionate as you both seem to be about your viewpoint, neither of you seem to have the convection to try to make things better. This is a great story, but rather than trying to build upon it, the two of you want to tare it down by exhibiting the kind of behavior that that it seeks to over come. Grow up children. If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.



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Posted by TheOldMan56 at 02:13 PM : May 15, 2008

SORRY :^D
Reply to this comment
by ccdsswrkr08 May 15, 2008 2:24 PM PDT
Cheers to TheOldMan56
Reply to this comment
by differnet May 15, 2008 2:39 PM PDT
I wish extraterrestrials would show up. Maybe then, finally, we would stop being so conscious of race. We could hate other because of their species then. (sighs)
Reply to this comment
by witchsince91 May 15, 2008 2:56 PM PDT
I''M STILL WONDERING WHEN A BLCK MAN WILL MAKE IT TO THE MOON. I GUESS ON AN EVOLUTIONARY SCALE, THEY''LL HAVE TO WAIT ON THE "MAN" TO GIVE "HIM" A TOKEN RIDE ON A ROCKET SHIP.

]:-/
Reply to this comment
by libh8er May 15, 2008 3:00 PM PDT
Wonder what the story would have been like at an Historic White College?
Reply to this comment
by parrot123-2009 May 15, 2008 3:11 PM PDT
Do not label him, he is not a "Euro-american" - WHAT is that? He is an American. Whites do not go around adding ethnicities or the names of other countries to their national identities - they are simply Americans, and all American citizens should be proud to be Americans, or United States citizens.
Posted by rosesnpearls at 01:23 PM : May 15, 2008

Americans are FREE and ABLE to cal themselves whatever they feel like. Cheers!
Reply to this comment
by theoldman56 May 15, 2008 3:17 PM PDT
If it were an all white collage and a black student, then I would like to think the outcome would have been the same. Hard work and tolerance always pays off.

As for the Black man on the moon, only 6 men in the entire world have walked on the moon. You might also ask why one wasn%u2019t Hispanic, or American Indian or Cajun. The fact is most of us are just to smart to go some place where there%u2019s not even any air. %u263A
Reply to this comment
by mahler2112 May 15, 2008 3:51 PM PDT
As a white man who attended a historically black university, I applaud Morehouse and this gentleman''s
accomplishment. However, my experience was a very
negative one. I was already open minded about race
and culture and my experiences pushed me in the other
direction. I can only hope that more HBCUs use this
example to be more open-minded.
Reply to this comment
by mahler2112 May 15, 2008 3:56 PM PDT
I am a white man and I attended a historically black
college. Let me say that this experience was HORRIBLE.
I used to think they treated me badly because I am white. Now I believe that they want to treat everyone
like ***. I have been fighting this school for three years because they are committing fraud against students on a daily basis. Kudos for this guy and
Morehouse but I think that HBCUs should be abolished.

Reply to this comment
by krenz4 May 15, 2008 4:01 PM PDT
Mega and Shawnp:
I know you are the same person, so you'' better get back on your meds. You are actually answering yourself. Kudos to you for being the biggest azz here and pretending to be a great thinker. Unfortunately, you dont get an emmy or an oscar for you bigoted, histronic performance on this post. SOrry... Take your meds and come back after a nap.
Reply to this comment
by nonayabiness May 15, 2008 4:13 PM PDT
I think this is a beautiful story of togetherness, acceptance and understanding. Someone got it right, would this even BE a story if this young man had attended a predominantly white college? No.

Should it be a story today, really, again, no. It''s really sad that something like this needs to be a story in today''s day and time, meaning that there is enough separation and segregation and racism still unfortunately alive that this is news. However, it is progress and news for the good, and means that one more hurdle has been crossed.

I think this young man and his college and peers should all be very proud of themselves and their collective accomplishments. You are teaching younger children great things with the success you''ve all achieved. GREAT JOB!!!
Reply to this comment
by spadeisspade May 15, 2008 4:23 PM PDT
Nonaya-

That''s a bunch of BS; we see stories about minorities succeeding in predominately white colleges (which is to say all of them) all the time. He went to a predominately black college and worked just as hard as he would have if he went to Harvard, what''s the big deal?
Reply to this comment
by philtheiaguy May 15, 2008 4:24 PM PDT
I have been reading through the last few pages of postings and find some of them to be intelligent statements of a few honest individuals who see the merit of a man attending and succeeding and a school where no other of his color have succeeded. Kudos to him. It took courage for the black mane women and in many cases - children that succeeded in all white schools in a time where much of a nation was against it. Are we a nation of tolerance? Bye and large - yes but to think that we are a country that wholly embraces each other regardless of race, religion or any other factor... we have much improvement ahead before that happens. Unfortunately there are those who feel that this forum is a stage to bait each other into a fight that is unneeded and unnecessary. As for me... I commend all that walk where few have gone before and those who continue to excel.
Reply to this comment
by philtheiaguy May 15, 2008 4:27 PM PDT
OOPS.. forgot to grammar check the last entry. I wanted to say It took courage for the black men and women...
Reply to this comment
by nonayabiness May 15, 2008 4:30 PM PDT
Nonaya-

That''''s a bunch of BS; we see stories about minorities succeeding in predominately white colleges (which is to say all of them) all the time. He went to a predominately black college and worked just as hard as he would have if he went to Harvard, what''''s the big deal?


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Posted by spadeisspade at 04:23 PM : May 15, 2008

-Spade-

I get your point. The point I''m making is that this SHOULDNT be a story in our society today, but is. It''s about progress and acceptance all around.
Reply to this comment
by theoldman56 May 15, 2008 4:41 PM PDT
I%u2019m curious mahler2112 . You say that you believe that all HBCUs should be abolished? It seems to me that any institute of higher learning that allows any person of any race to better themselves and mankind should be preserved at all cost. Wouldn%u2019t you agree?
Reply to this comment
by megamanx1-2009 May 15, 2008 7:51 PM PDT
IM BACK AND I HAD MY NAP....FEEL A LOT BETTER NOW. :^D

BUT THAT SHAWNP GUY IS STILL A *********...
Reply to this comment
by paigeinpa May 16, 2008 3:32 AM PDT
mahler2112

Then why are you still attending said HBCU???...and to say that they all should be abolished makes me think you are just a troll who just wants to make trouble & who has never set foot on a HBCU campus...I went to one..and like everything in life there are good and bad situations & everything in between...but the experiences that I had at my school were indeed life lessons.

And if you REALLY were going to a HBCU then you would know that, like Josh.
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by jboxton May 16, 2008 12:55 PM PDT
I knew this kid. It doesn''t say how many times he got beat up. You can tell this isn''t a true story anyway. There are not THAT many African Americans who graduate from college.
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