18-year-old black beats diabetes, impaired speech and racism to win in politics

Jet, July 19, 1993 by Jean Williams

Mapping out a strategy to be selected President of the United States more than 20 years from now might seem a bit premature.

But 18-year-old Justin Paschal of Meredith, New Hampshire, says he's right on schedule. This past May, he ran for Belknap County vice chair of the Democratic Party and won, conquering such obstacles as diabetes, a serious speech impairment and racism.

He is the youngest person ever to win that seat in New Hampshire, possibly in the nation.

"Whenever there's a negative, I try to make it a positive,' Paschal says of dealing with the problems he has faced. I think that's what I'm trying to do with my life."

He says conquering his serious stuttering problem with four years of speech therapy is an example of how he has dealt with negatives.

"A lot of times it's still hard to speak in public," he says, pointing out that public speaking is important for politicians. "When I speak in public I still have to practice a lot by going over and over the speech."

And he says he counts his diabetes as a blessing in disguise. "Hopefully, I will be able to use it to help others deal with it," he says. For two weeks this summer, he will serve at Joslin Camp as a counselor to younger boys with diabetes.

Paschal first became interested in polities about 10 years ago at age nine after then-presidential contender Jesse Jackson visited the Paschal household during the 1984 New Hampshire primary.

He counts Jackson and longtime family friend Bill Clinton as his political role models.

"I think both of them are very special," Paschal says. "I think what Jesse Jackson did was great because if he hadn't run for president, I wouldn't think I could do it. And President Clinton said one day, hopefully, both our pictures will be on the White House wall."

The Paschals hosted a pig roast for Clinton before the New Hampshire primary in January of last year. After he won the presidency, Clinton invited the Paschals to the inaugural events, allowing Paschal a front row view.

President Clinton is not only one of Paschal's role models; he's a mentor too. He has invited Paschal to do a White House internship, making him the of this year's crop of interns.

In return, Paschal, who will attend Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., invited Clinton to be guest speaker at his recent graduation from Inter-Lakes High School. Clinton couldn't fit the ceremony in his schedule, but, because he would be in nearby Portland, Maine, for presidential business, he came up with a compromise.

He invited Paschal and his classmates to meet him at the Portland jetport, where he posed for pictures with graduates, signed autographs and listened to a speech by Paschal. "I feel so grateful to have our president care so much for our future," Paschal said before presenting Clinton with a mustard seed for faith.

Aside from watching friends in, high places from the sidelines, exactly what is Paschal's strategy for landing in the Oval Office?

"Hard work," he says with a sigh. Go through college. Go to law school. Come back to New Hampshire. Run for U.S. Senate a couple of years, serve there for a couple of years and then, hopefully, move on to the White House with no mistakes in my past."

Last September, he sought a seat in the New Hampshire legislature as state representative for Meredith and Center Harbor. He got a national forum when CNN did a story on him and his campaign.

Though he lost that bid bY about 400 votes, he did manage to win one of two Democratic nominations through a write-in campaign. And in the process, he managed another great feat.

"I registered more 18-year-olds than had ever been registered before in a state election in my region," he said proudly, while seated in the kitchen of his home.

Political ambition almost comes naturally to Paschal. His parents John and Jan set high standards while Paschal, sister Janna and brother Jason were growing up.

His parents are natives of Arkansas. Jan Paschal, a high school teacher, and John Paschal, a former educator and Arkansas community leader who runs his own construction business, moved to New Hampshire before their children were born.

On visits to Arkansas, the family would visit then-Governor Bill Clinton.

When Clinton won the presidency, one of his first presidential acts was prompted by Justin's bout with diabetes.

Jan Paschal explains:

"Justin was the spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association here in New Hampshire, and one of the things they wanted to do was have research done on fetal tissue to find a cure for diabetes.

"Justin told Bill that and Bill assured him that when he was elected he was going to rescind the ban on fetal tissue research. He called here a day or two after he was elected to tell us he was going to do that immediately."

In spite of all Paschal's accomplishments, which apparently are unmatched by any of his fellow Inter-Lakes graduates, he has often felt slighted because of his race.

He was the only Black in his class, and his siblings are the only other Blacks who attended the school with him.