Jeffrey Warren of Martin Luther King High School in Riverdale, California was not expecting to be the butt of anyone's jokes after accepting a $1,000 scholarship from the Martin Luther King Senior Citizens Club. But last month, the White student elicited laughter from the audience upon receiving the academic award. The teen, who graduated last week, later returned it when realizing the award was meant to be given to a Black student.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise says the 17-year-old applied for 27 scholarships and won three others, but never saw a cover letter for the MLK award saying that only African Americans were encouraged to apply. The Martin Luther King Senior Citizens Club says it will change next year's application language promptly.
