Don White
1938 - 2008
In Loving Memory
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of a
wonderful
member of the Pacifica Family. DON WHITE died on about June 20th,
2008, apparently of a heart attack. 
Born in Anacortes, Washington, his life was a reflection
of the last 60 years of the progressive movement in the United States.
From the time that he was a college student in the late 1950's,
fighting against the injustice surrounding the House of
Representatives' Un-American Activities Committee, Don remained engaged
in the struggle for peace and justice for humanity.
Always cheerful and incredibly
generous, Don worked tirelessly for social change and for the bettterment of humanity. Don will be sorely
missed!
As a dynamic
speaker, he was a fixture of the left, often serving as Master of
Ceremonies or moderator at events sponsored by a wide range of
progressive organizations and coalitions. He was regularly the guy who
made the pitch for money at demonstrations as well as social and
political events -- because he put people at ease, could make them
laugh, and made them want to give and be a part of something much
larger than themselves. As a result, Don raised hundreds of thousands
of dollars for scores of progressive and humanitarian organizations.
Don
came to Los Angeles in 1963 and taught history at Irving Junior High
School there. As a charter and lifetime member of United Teachers of
Los Angeles, he was deeply committed to issues of equity in educational
opportunity, especially for children in the inner cities. Don
participated in every teachers' union strike from 1963 until his
retirement in 1997.
In 1976, Don traveled to Guatemala in
response to the devastating earthquake. He called that month-long
journey "an epiphany, a life changing experience" which remained a
vibrant part of his political psyche and which resulted in his
friendship and faithful service to Central America. During the war in
El Salvador, Don made 14 trips to that country and to Guatemala,
Honduras and Nicaragua. Don was a member of the Echo Park Chapter of
the Committee in Solidarity with the people of El Salvador, CISPES,
since joining the group shortly after its founding convention in 1980.
As an organizer, Board Member and leader of CISPES in Los Angeles, Don
coordinated and addressed countless rallies, demonstrations,
fundraisers, teach-in's, delegations, material aid drives,
congressional visits, civil disobedience actions demanding an end to
U.S. intervention in El Salvador and Central America to Central America.
In
addition, Don was an organizer of scores of city-wide coalitions
addressing various other progressive causes including peace in the
Middle East and the treatment of immigrants. As a "Legal Observer"
working with the National Lawyers Guild, he could be seen wearing the
fluorescent Green Hat worn by the NLG Legal Observers at virtually
every major – and minor – demonstration in Los Angeles.
Don was
a founding member of the Southern California Fair Trade Network which
organized for the WTO protests in Seattle and similar actions around
the U.S. He served on the Boards of the Coalition in Solidarity with
the people of El Salvador, the Office of the Americas and Americans for
Democratic Action, the Local Station Board of Los Angeles
community radio station KPFK, 90.7 fm, Pacifica Radio's National
Board, and Pacifica's Affiliates Task Force, among others. He was also a lead organizer and coordinator in
the recent historic mass demonstrations for peace and pro-immigrant
solidarity rallies in Los Angeles.
The
Paul Robeson Community Center Honored Don White in 2004 and this
obituary is drawn from the bio put together at that time.
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