48 Facts About Trayon White

Trayon White was born on May 11,1984 and is an American Democratic politician, currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward 8 of the District of Columbia.

Trayon White won election to the Council in 2016, his second attempt for the seat held by Marion Barry until his death.

Trayon White is considered an antisemite due to his promotion of numerous antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Trayon White was born May 11,1984, in Washington, DC He grew up in a neighborhood in the Southeast, raised by his mother after his father abandoned the family.

Trayon White's family was extremely poor, and he sometimes went hungry or without clean clothes.

Trayon White stole cars, and was arrested by the Metropolitan Police.

Trayon White was not prosecuted, but his grandmother sent him to live with cousins to be raised.

Trayon White spent the rest of his teen years living with them in an overcrowded apartment.

Trayon White attended TechWorld Public Charter School for at least one year of high school before transferring to Ballou High School, where he graduated in 2002.

Trayon White enrolled at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland, in the fall of 2002.

Trayon White then enrolled at a master's degree program in public administration at Southeastern University in Washington, DC, but apparently did not complete his studies.

Trayon White became involved with the East of the River Clergy Police Community Partnership while in high school.

Trayon White remained involved as a mentor and sports coach while in college, and joined ERCPCP as a paid community outreach worker about 2006.

In November 2007, Trayon White founded Helping Inner City Kids Succeed, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping poverty-stricken children east of the Anacostia River in Washington, DC Trayon White received the Linowes Leadership Award from the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in May 2008 for his work with at-risk young people.

In 2011, an editorial in The Washington Post said Trayon White's nonprofit "is doing interesting work with inner-city youth" and that Trayon White had real insight "into the problems confronted by students in Ward 8 schools".

In 2017, Trayon White spoke to NPR about the ward's work on how to help finding critically missing children.

Trayon White ran to fill Lockridge's unexpired term on the Board of Education, winning endorsements from Barry and Lockridge's widow.

Trayon White won the April 26,2011, special election with 32.8 percent of the vote in a crowded field.

Trayon White led second-place candidate Philip Pannell by 6 percent.

Trayon White easily won with 73.3 percent of the vote to Pannell's 26.3 percent.

Trayon White helped break ground on a new Ballou High School building in March 2013.

Trayon White praised charter schools for improving education, but criticized Kaya Henderson, Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools, for failing to come up with a plan to improve education for children in traditional public school settings.

In late February 2014, Trayon White took a job as a supervisor in the "Roving Leaders" at-risk youth program in the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation.

However, city law prohibited Board of Education members from holding city employment, and Trayon White resigned his position on the Board on March 5,2014.

Trayon White, who had met the girl, worked with several community groups to organize three canvases of the area to find the girl.

Trayon White was one of the people Barry called immediately after leaving Howard.

Trayon White was one of the first to file as a candidate in the special election to fill the remainder of Barry's term, doing so in late December 2014.

Under District of Columbia Board of Elections rules that permit candidates to run under whatever name they wish, White asked for his name on the ballot to be listed as "Trayon 'WardEight' White".

Trayon White later explained that friends began calling him by the nickname "WardEight" on Facebook, and he intended to use it on the ballot.

The Washington Post said its analysis showed Trayon White needed to win 65 percent of the provisional and absentee ballots to prevail.

Trayon White spent much of the next year maintaining a high profile in Ward 8.

Trayon White's work attracted strong support among teenagers and young adults in their 20s.

On June 18,2015, Trayon White was hired as a temporary employee in the Office of the Attorney General of the District of Columbia.

Trayon White worked as a Community Development Specialist, focusing on education, engagement, and outreach to organizations and communities.

Trayon White's portfolio focused on at-risk youth, juvenile justice issues, combatting designer drug use, and general outreach to neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.

On February 8,2016, Trayon White filed as a candidate for the Ward 8 District Council seat in the Democratic primary.

In June 2016, Trayon White endorsed a DC campaign finance reform proposal to bar any person or corporation from receiving a city contract with $100,000 or more if they donate to a District Council election.

On November 8,2016, Trayon White was unopposed in his bid to win the Ward 8 Council seat, and won with 25,870 votes.

Trayon White was sworn into office at noon on January 2,2017.

In June 2017, Trayon White posted bail for friend and Ward 8 ANC commissioner Kendall Simmons who was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend in a grocery store.

Trayon White compared Simmons to Malcolm X and said that the girlfriend's story did not match the facts in the case.

In March 2018, Trayon White organized protests against a development in his Ward.

Trayon White spent much of his time engaging in constituent service, such as distributing free groceries, attending protests, intervening with police, and distributing cloth masks during the covid-19 crisis.

In March 2018, Trayon White sparked controversy by stating that the Rothschild family controls the weather.

On March 16,2018, Trayon White posted a video on his official Facebook page showing snow flurries falling, alluding to the conspiracy theory of the Rothschild family conspiring to manipulate the weather.

Trayon White later apologized for making the statement, and said he was working with Jews United for Justice to develop a deeper understanding of antisemitism.

On March 19,2018, the Council released footage of a February 27,2018, event in which Trayon White claimed that the Rothschilds controlled the World Bank and the US government.

Trayon White faced three challengers in the 2020 Democratic primary: former UMC executive Mike Austin; his former campaign manager Stuart Anderson; and attorney Yaida Ford.