Trayon White facts for kids

Trayon White (born May 11, 1984) is an American politician from Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2017, he has represented Ward 8 on the Council of the District of Columbia. He was first elected to the council in 2016.

Before joining the council, White worked as a community organizer. He also served on the D.C. State Board of Education. In 2022, he ran for mayor of D.C. but did not win.

Trayon White's Early Life and Education

Trayon White was born on May 11, 1984, in Washington, D.C. He grew up in the Southeast area of the city. His family faced many challenges when he was young.

In his early teenage years, White lived with his grandmother. Later, he moved in with cousins. A teacher became a mentor to him, which helped him a lot. After this teacher passed away, White found strength in Christianity. His school grades got much better, and he joined student government.

He attended TechWorld Public Charter School for a time. He then transferred to Ballou High School, where he graduated in 2002.

After high school, White went to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2002. He studied business administration and graduated with honors in 2006. While in college, he returned to D.C. every week to coach sports. He coached with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Later, he started a master's degree program at Southeastern University. However, he did not finish his studies there.

Trayon White's Community Work

White started helping his community while still in high school. He worked with the East of the River Clergy Police Community Partnership (ERCPCP). He continued as a mentor and sports coach during college. Around 2006, he became a paid community outreach worker for ERCPCP. He saw a lot of challenges in his neighborhood, including crime. He said it was hard to see so much sadness.

In 2007, White started a nonprofit organization called Helping Inner City Kids Succeed (HICKS). This group helps children in need who live east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. In 2008, he received an award for his work with young people. An article in The Washington Post in 2011 praised his nonprofit. It said his group was doing important work with city youth.

During his time as a community activist, White learned from William O. Lockridge. Lockridge was a long-time member of the D.C. Board of Education. White also became known as a supporter of Marion Barry. Barry was a D.C. Councilmember for Ward 8 and a former mayor.

Serving on the D.C. Board of Education

After William O. Lockridge passed away, Trayon White decided to run for Lockridge's seat on the Board of Education. He had the support of Marion Barry and Lockridge's wife. White won the special election on April 26, 2011. He received 32.8% of the votes.

He ran for reelection in November 2012 and won again with 73.3% of the votes. White helped start building a new Ballou High School in 2013. He believed charter schools were good for education. However, he also wanted better plans for traditional public schools.

The Board of Education job paid a small amount of money each year. In 2014, White took a job with the city's Department of Parks and Recreation. He worked with a program for at-risk youth. But city rules said Board of Education members could not hold other city jobs. So, White resigned from the Board on March 5, 2014.

Running for District Council

In 2014, Marion Barry, the Ward 8 council member, passed away. Trayon White decided to run for his seat. He was one of the first people to sign up as a candidate for the special election. He even asked for his name on the ballot to be "Trayon 'WardEight' White." He said friends on social media had given him this nickname.

White faced many other candidates in the election. One of the main candidates was LaRuby May. May raised a lot more money for her campaign than White did. However, many people in Ward 8 saw White as a strong candidate.

In a practice vote held by the Democratic party, LaRuby May won easily. But White still had strong support. Some candidates who dropped out of the race asked their supporters to vote for White.

The First Election Results

The special election for Ward 8 was held on April 28, 2015. Many people came out to vote. LaRuby May won with 1,711 votes, and Trayon White had 1,559 votes. The difference was only 152 votes. Even though May spent much more money, White gained a lot of support late in the race.

There were still many votes to count, like provisional and absentee ballots. These are votes that need to be checked before they count. The election was very close. After all votes were counted, LaRuby May won by 79 votes. White asked for a recount, but later decided to stop it.

Second Run for District Council

After the close election, White stayed very active in Ward 8. He went to protests for better housing and job training. He also spoke out against changes that made neighborhoods more expensive. He visited places where sad events happened and helped people. His work was popular with teenagers and young adults.

In 2015, White worked for the Office of the Attorney General of the District of Columbia. He helped connect with communities and worked on issues for young people. His job ended in September 2015.

On February 8, 2016, White decided to run again for the Ward 8 District Council seat. This time, he had the support of several important people. He ran against LaRuby May again, along with a few other candidates.

May continued to raise a lot of money for her campaign. But White gained important support from community groups. He also won a practice vote among Democratic party members in Ward 8. The Washington Post supported LaRuby May for the council.

Just before the election, another politician, Vincent C. Gray, seemed to support White. He paid for phone calls that called White an "independent thinker."

Winning the Primary Election

On June 14, 2016, Trayon White won the Democratic nomination. He received 51% of the votes, while LaRuby May got 43%. This was a big win for White.

The General Election

In June 2016, White supported a plan to make campaign funding fairer. This plan would stop companies that get big city contracts from donating to council elections. This was to help prevent problems with honesty in government.

On November 8, 2016, Trayon White ran unopposed for the Ward 8 Council seat. He won with a large number of votes, becoming the new council member.

Trayon White's Time on the Council

Trayon White officially started his job as a council member on January 2, 2017. In 2017, he talked about how the ward was working to find missing children. In 2018, he organized protests about a new building project in his ward. He felt the developers were not hiring enough local workers.

White has pointed to several successes during his time in office. These include a new practice facility for the Washington Wizards basketball team and a new Starbucks. He also helped get funding for new affordable housing and a new building for United Medical Center (UMC).

He spends a lot of his time helping people in his community directly. He has given out free groceries, attended protests, and helped people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

White ran for reelection in 2020 and won the Democratic primary. In 2024, he ran for reelection again and won the Democratic primary with 51% of the vote.

Running for Mayor

In 2022, Trayon White ran for mayor of the District of Columbia. He ran against the current mayor, Muriel Bowser. Mayor Bowser won the Democratic primary election. White came in third place with 9% of the votes.

Electoral Results Summary

Trayon White has participated in several elections:

• In 2011, he won a special election for the D.C. State Board of Education.
• In 2012, he was reelected to the D.C. State Board of Education.
• In 2015, he ran for the Ward 8 Council seat in a special election and narrowly lost to LaRuby May.
• In 2016, he won the Democratic primary for the Ward 8 Council seat against LaRuby May. He then won the general election unopposed.
• In 2020, he won the Democratic primary for the Ward 8 Council seat.
• In 2022, he ran for Mayor of the District of Columbia in the Democratic primary.
• In 2024, he won the Democratic primary for the Ward 8 Council seat.