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Read LA-Indymedia’s breaking news report of Don’s passing here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Last Sunday my friend Emma called me and said, \u201cLook there\u2019s this nasty rumor going around that Don White was found dead in his apartment.\u201d I was shocked but didn\u2019t believe it for a second. I called Don\u2019s home and heard his answering machine message. I didn\u2019t leave a message. I called around to several friends who knew Don better than I and found that it was true. Our dear friend Don White, whom I had just seen one week earlier, answering phones in KPFK\u2019s phone room, was apparently dead. <\/p>\n The shock was too deep to bear alone. I awoke my sleeping husband, who also knew Don. We hugged and cried together, unable to believe it. We had known Don White since our early days of activism in LA, when we had just moved to the city and were looking for ways to get involved. There was Don, on the streets, in the meeting halls, behind the scenes, and out in front fundraising. He was everywhere, he was always smiling, and yet involved in the serious work. He never complained about anyone or anything. He was a peace maker, a warrior, a worker and a leader. He was my companero. He was my friend. And he was the friend of thousands of you out there. Each one of you who knew Don White has a story to tell about him. In my effort to process my grief, I poured myself into the work of putting together today\u2019s memorial program for Don. <\/p>\n — Sonali Kolhatkar<\/em><\/p>\n * * * <\/p>\n ABOUT DON<\/em><\/p>\n While Don White was widely known by so many in the activist community, he kept his personal life very private. Almost no one knows the details of Don\u2019s family, or even exactly where he lived. Don White was born in Anacortes, Washington. As a college student in the late 50s, he was active against the repression by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). He moved to LA in 1963 and taught history at Irving Junior High School. Don was a charter and lifetime member of UTLA, the United Teachers of Los Angeles, and participated in every teachers’ union strike from 1963 until his retirement in 1997. <\/p>\n His trip to Guatemala in 1976 changed his life and started a relationship with the people of Central America that continued until the day he died. He joined the board of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador or CISPES, and remained a leader in CISPES-LA. He coordinated and addressed countless rallies, demonstrations, fundraisers, teach-ins, 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.<\/p>\n 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. He often worked as a “Legal Observer” working with the National Lawyers Guild, wearing his fluorescent green hat at demonstrations. <\/p>\n Don White was also a founding member of the Southern California Fair Trade Network. He organized for the WTO protests in Seattle and similar actions around the U.S. Most recently he was involved in organizing the historic immigrants\u2019 rights marches in LA. Don also served on the Boards of the Office of the Americas and Americans for Democratic Action. He was also the chair of the KPFK Local Station Board. He remained on KPFK\u2019s board as a member. <\/p>\n Don apparently died of a massive heart attack at his apartment over the weekend, as he was packing a bag to go to a wedding in his family. His death has left thousands grieving not only here in Los Angeles, but at the CISPES national office in Washington DC, and indeed in El Salvador, where members of the various social movements knew and loved him as a dedicated supporter of their cause. <\/p>\n Many many people remember Don and grieve for him. The loss is still so new, the pain so fresh. We spoke this week with a sampling of Don\u2019s friends and allies who knew him personally and are trying to deal with losing him so suddenly. This is by no means a complete set of voices. We have missed many who were close to him, because of time and other constraints. These voices represent all of us who miss Don White and loved him dearly. <\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n MAKE A DONATION TO CISPES IN DON’S NAME<\/em><\/p>\n Last year, when Don turned 70, in typical fashion, he didn\u2019t want to make a big deal about it and only agreed to have a celebration if the party was also a fundraiser for CISPES, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. A great way to commemorate Don is to make a contribution to CISPES in his name. That\u2019s the way he would have wanted it. Donations to CISPES can be made through www.cispes.org<\/a>, or by calling the CISPES office at (202)521-2510. <\/p>\n Friends of Don are meeting this week to plan a very large and public memorial event for him. Just stay tuned to KPFK to hear about details of this event \u2013 we will certainly announce and publicize it. <\/p>\n Please tune into World Focus with Blase Bonpane, a very close friend and ally of Don White, this Sunday for another tribute to Don from 10-11 am. <\/p>\n An article written by Don White for the El Salvador Watch newsletter here<\/a><\/p>\n