University of Alabama Frats and Sororities Vote to Keep Segregation Alive on campus

exactly.....as best you would be a token for diversity.

 

in 2008 Morehouse had a white graduate...it happens...the college admitted him not knowing he was white...the administration assumed that he must be black because morehouse is an all black college

go where no (white) man has gone before

 

I would be worried about my son in such an environment, but I have to keep hoping that each passing year gets a little better, even in Alabama.

 

I'd wager that Morehouse and similar HBCs have had more than one White undergrad since 2000.

Particularly on their athletic teams.
At Howard I've seen White guys on scholarship playing baseball and on the swimming team.

If your shit is together being White going to a predominately BLack college isn't that big a deal.

 

I agree with this. I think black people on the whole (generalizing here) are more accustomed to having white people in their midst than whites are having blacks in theirs.

 

you decide for yourself if it was a big deal


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Joshua Packwood knows what it's like to be a minority.

Joshua Packwood, 22, will be the first white valedictorian at the historically black Morehouse College.


This weekend he'll be the first white valedictorian to graduate from the historically black, all male Morehouse College in the school's 141-year history.

Morehouse, in Atlanta, Georgia, is one the nation's most prestigious universities of its kind. For more than a century, the school has prided itself on personifying the dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the school's most notable alums, by producing "Morehouse Men" - intelligent and successful black leaders.

"Because I'm one of the only white students, it's easy to call me 'the white boy,' I'm naturally going to stand out," says Packwood.

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 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."

Packwood fit in immediately at Morehouse. His charm, movie-star good looks and chiseled physique made him popular among students. He was elected dorm president and to class council during freshmen year - and was a favorite at campus fashion shows. Video White valedictorian makes history »

He also gained worldly experience studying and traveling abroad.


Life hasn't always been easy for Packwood. He grew up in a poor area of Kansas City, Missouri, where he says he found himself gravitating to the black community at a young age.

Adolescence was rough. His mother's second marriage to a black man ended in divorce and family tension forced him to seek refuge with his best friend's family - who were black and middle-class.

The experience of living with his best friend's family had a profound effect on Packwood, who says he saw a "different side of black America."

During his teens, Packwood says he got into his share of fights and even landed in jail a few times. Still, his grades were good and eventually earned him a full scholarships to Morehouse College and Columbia University.

Against the advice of some family members, Packwood gave up the scholarship to an Ivy League school. He felt the true college experience was at Morehouse - where he believed he would get more than an education.

"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."

"Mr. Packwood is deserving. He has earned this," says Dr. Robert Franklin, the president of Morehouse. "We are committed to merit, to hard work - no matter who it might be."

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."

"So I heard him out, and said, 'I appreciate your opinion but don't agree with what you have to say,'...and now we've become, not necessarily close, but very cool," Packwood says.

That student, Vinson Muhammad, says he was curious about the reasons why someone like Packwood would choose to attend an all-black college.

"I don't necessarily support him being here, but because he's here and we can't discriminate against other races, I support him and his mission to be successful in life," says Muhammad, a junior. "I just kind of wish he had done it at a different institution."

In this next installment of CNN's Black in America series, Soledad O'Brien examines the successes, struggles and complex issues faced by black men, women and families -- 40 years after the death of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Watch July 23 and 24, 9 p.m. ET

Even though he received the support of school administrators, Packwood's scholastic success did not come without some controversy. When word got out that he might become the next valedictorian, some of his classmates - even friends - were admittedly chafed.

"They approached me and said, 'Yeah, I have a problem with you being valedictorian. I know you've earned it and even though I know you on a personal level - I like you a lot - but it disturbs me that out of roughly 3,000 black men - there's not one that's done as well as or better than you academically,' " says Packwood.

Still, the majority of students told CNN that he earned his accolades and they stand behind him. Some say, if anything, Packwood's academic success should serve as a lesson to his fellow students.

"I think that it should be a wake-up call to an all black campus," says Muhammad. "At Morehouse we're supposed to be at the top as black men. We only have a few white students and to see a white student will rise to this - is something unsettling to me because it shows that we need to work harder."

Campus administrators say that black or white, Packwood's experience is consistent with the school's mission: to produce future leaders.

"I think some of our alumni are a little nervous about a white student graduating from Morehouse with all of its rich history for producing African-American male leaders. But I don't think it's contradictory at all," says Sterling Hudson, the dean of admissions.

Overall, Packwood says his experience is the best proof of Morehouse success, because the school was able to produce a white valedictorian - against the odds. He's eager to quote the school's most notable alums.

"What Morehouse stands for at the end of the day, and what Dr. King epitomized, it's not about black or white, it's about the content of [a person's] character," says Packwood. "It's about me, representing Morehouse in that light -- not as a white man or a black man."

His experience was so positive that Packwood's younger brother, John, will follow in his footsteps when he enrolls as a freshman at the college next year.

Could this type of recruitment signal a new trend for Morehouse and other historically black colleges and universities?

"We're not aggressively pursuing white students," says Hudson. "But like every other college, we're interested in diversity. So, if a white student becomes interested in Morehouse - of course we are going to treat him like any other student."

For now, Packwood is enjoying his rise to the top. This week, he started his first job with the prestigious investment banking firm Goldman Sachs on Wall Street.

But he'll be back at Morehouse Sunday wearing his cap and gown along with the 500 members of his graduating class. Not as a white man or a black man - but as a Morehouse Man.

"The interesting thing about Josh's experience is that he had a full Morehouse experience," says Hudson. "When he marches across the stage on May 18 and receives his diploma, he's going to be a Morehouse Man in every way -- except ethnicity."

"I don't think ethnicity makes the difference; it's what's in his heart."

 

It's not a big deal because no one was trying to keep him out. Yes there was a little friction but he was treated fairly. No embarrassing and racially motivated insults or attacks. He was embraced and encouraged. If anything that says a lot about black people

 

The kid was the FIRST WHITE VALEDICTORIAN at Morehouse. That's a big deal.

Even Mr. Packwood himself said that he was one of the 'only' White students at Morehouse, meaning there was more than one currently attending the school.

White kids have been attending HBCs in albeit small numbers for a while now.



LOL at his last name...Pack(ing)wood. Bet his boys had fun with that.:smt025

Also I saw nothing in that abstract you posted Lippy that Mr. Packwood applied to Morehouse and no one knew he was White.

A very unique cat all the way around.

 

Playing dumb? Nah.,. I'm just not playing coward. You do not run from discrimination, I don't care what year it is. You can complain about how unfair racism is and make cries for racial equality all you want, but that means nothing unless you do something about it. To say 'man, shit is really jacked up down there. I better stay here where it's nice and cozy.' from the safety of your NYC apartment is nothing more than acknowledging and condoning the situation there.

I'm not saying that we need to march on the school or anything like that, just saying that I'm not going to teach my kids to be cowards and run from something that they want to do because someone makes them feel unwanted due to the color of their skin.

 

I completely agree...by staying away from certain situations that may not be easy is equal to compliance...the more acceptance to that inferred compliance...pretty soon segregation comes creeping into other areas of our lives...we can't have states, cities, businesses and schools deciding on segregation

we just went through this with the bill in AZ "right to refuse service"

 

It's not cowardice to avoid danger my friend. The purpose of a school is to get an education not suffer through unnecessary bs. Our ancestors did it because there was no other choice it was either endure the bs or don't receive an education. I'm more for picking battles. Instead of wasting time on that bs get your education in a supportive environment then use your knowledge to take a stand against more pertinent problems rather than wasting energy on entitled racist assholes.

 

The college experience in this country is about so much more than getting an education. In this country, college is where our children go as they transition to adulthood. They leave from under mom and dads roof with mom and dads rules and they take on their first real responsibility in preparation for the next stages of their life. Kids do not just learn math in college, they learn valuable life skills that do not necessarily take place in the classroom.

Frankly, one of those lessons that I hope to teach my kids well before they reach this stage in their life is not to be a coward. There will always be bigots, I don't care what school they choose to attend. There will be bigots in the workplace, there will be bigots in everything that they choose to do in life.

Our ancestors fought so that we could go to whatever school we wanted to. They opened a lot of doors so that we could walk through whichever door we choose to. Our ancestors fought and were beaten to death, so that future generations could benefit from their sacrifice. That does not mean the fight or struggle was supposed to end with them.

By the way, University of Alabama is 12% black enrollment. Why don't you go out and see how that fares against other non-southern non-HBCU universities. How does it do against University of Michigan? Chicago State? University of Southern California? How does that fare against the percentage of blacks getting a higher education altogether? It's not as 'dangerous' as you guys are making it out to be.

You should probably stay away from white women too, a lot of white guys do not want you dating them.

 

This all day.

 

Agree to disagree then fam

 

apples and oranges hbcu have never segregated or discriminated against white applicants. do your research before you post. i don't let lies/nonsense fly.

 

all it showsis whites choose not to go to an hbcu.

 

Well when the President of Morehouse says we don't actively recruit White students it kind of tells you they're ambivalent about them being there.

However the long term survival of HBCUs depends on attracting a more diverse student body

 

Just because they don't go out and actively recruit them doesn't mean they don't want them. HBCUs do embrace diversity, but would allow the student body to reflect that in their attitudes.