Joshua Packwood is a minority among minority, as the first white valedictorian of historically black Morehouse College whose distinguished alumni include Martin Luther King, Jr., Julian Bond, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, David Satcher, Lerone Bennett, Jr., and Calvin O. Butts, III.

“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.”

Source: White valedictorian: A first for historically black Morehouse

Morehouse has admitted white students since the 1960s, although they are a minority on campus. An article from the AP notes that Packwood’s recruiter at Morehouse assumed he was black.

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 suburban Kansas City, Mo. He has mixed-race siblings and his mother was married to an African-American. Packwood’s experiences growing up have helped him navigate black culture while remaining comfortable with his own complexion.

Source: Historically Black College Honors First White Valedictorian

Joshua Packwood is profiled and interviewed in this AP video.

Joshua Packwood’s achievement has brought press attention not only to himself but to the distinguished history and tradition of Morehouse College and the “Morehouse mystique.”

See also:

• NPR Audio: Valedictorian Makes History
• Unlikely First At Historic Black College

Joshua Packwood, First White Valedictorian in Morehouse College’s 141 Year History

Barbie has clout. She is No. 41 on the list of The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived. Now she’s going green with the new Bcause collection which “Reuses and Repurposes Excess Barbie(TM) Fabrics and Trimmings to Create Fashionable and Playful Handbags, Pillows.”

Smart Planet weighs in on the environmental impact of the Bcause collection.

The case against
Over one billion Barbies are reckoned to have been sold since their launch in 1959. According to auction house Christie’s, Mattel flogs three Barbie dolls every second, creating a nightmare plastic mountain that’ll probably take centuries to biodegrade and clog up our precious remaining landfill space. So who cares if Mattel sells a dozen bags and accessories that happen to have some reused materials? Shouldn’t Mattel be doing that anyway? And even worse than all that plastic (and Mattel’s recent toys recall), Barbie isn’t the UK’s own Sindy doll.

The defence
The new Bcause collection features bags, hats and pillows made from excess fabric and trimmings from other Barbie toys. Apparently those off-cuts would otherwise end up in the bin. The ten-strong accessory collection will spread the green word amongst young girls and may convince them to become climate heroes and eco campaigners when they’re older (our words, not Mattel’s).

Elle weighs in on the fashion impact.

No, thank goodness for future body dysmorphists everywhere, nothing about Barbie will change. But a new line of Barbie accessories for girls (handbags and totes) will include trim and detail made from factory seconds– those pieces of fabric left over from the huge bolts of cloth that are made into a thousand tiny Barbie swing coats or astronaut outfits. Instead of tossing these extras, they will be reused, a tactic many eco-fashion designers use to add fun details to their lines while still recycling.

Barbie is nothing if not versatile, from her 1959 origins….

To her many 2008 updates, of which this is just one….

Barbie Baby Phat Kimora Lee Simmons Doll

Barack Obama chose to deliver a speech in Indiana, to pay homage to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Had Barack Obama attended a service today in Memphis commemorating the 40th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, it would likely have inspired further comparisons between the two men, the slain civil rights leader and the rookie senator who has become the first truly viable African American contender for the presidency.

But Obama decided he needed to keep an earlier commitment to appear at a Democratic Party event in North Dakota this evening, even if it meant leaving the spotlight in Memphis to Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Instead, he chose to spend the first part of the anniversary day here in Indiana, which has allowed him to evoke a second figure from the 1960s: Bobby Kennedy.

Kennedy was campaigning in Indianapolis when he learned of King’s assassination, and he proceeded to relay the news to a crowd of voters in a black neighborhood, urging them, in one of the more notable pieces of spontaneous American political oratory, not to betray King’s ideals by allowing their grief and anger to flow into violence. (More.)

As Shallow Nation noted earlier today, the speech of Robert F. Kennedy was eloquent and moving. But more importantly, carries the important message, still relevant in our era, to avoid a descent into strife, divisiveness and bitterness. Read more about RFK’s speech here.