I’m proud that a black institution seems to be able to easily look past skin color.  This institution is dedicated to educating black men, but when a white guy is the best, they acknowledge him.

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.

But I did wonder why would an Ivy-league qualified white guy from Kansas City go to a black University? (not saying that black schools aren’t excellent, just that it doesn’t seem that culturally apropros for white folks to discomfit themselves)

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.

Hmmm, does he relate to his stepdaddy? 

A Different Kind of Morehouse Man