Steven White, a resident of Rockland County since 1969, attended East Ramapo Central School District schools from elementary school through high school. Steve holds an AAS in Food Service Administration, Dietetic Technology, and Nutrition Care from SUNY Rockland, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from SUNY Excelsior College in Albany, NY with a BS in Liberal Arts. Steven is currently employed as a Nutritionist with the Rockland County Health Department WIC program, providing counseling and assistance to low income families with small children.
Steven is married to Emilia White, who was a trustee and then the Deputy mayor of the Village of Spring Valley from 2013-1017.
Steven is an activist. He has worked on environmental justice issues with the Spring Valley Concerned Citizens Coalition; Social Justice and anti-war issues with the Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice and tenants rights issues with the NAACP and Legal Aid. He was a shop steward with CSEA Local 9200, where he also served on the Health and Safety and Negotiating Committees; and currently coordinating work on land use issues with Spring Valley CUPON.
Steven is publisher and editor of "The Power of Ten", an email newsletter and blog covering issues relating to the East Ramapo Schools. He was a candidate for school board in 2008 and 2015. His work around education issues has been covered by The New York Times and WBEZ's This American Life.
Steve speaks English, Haitian Creole and Spanish.
Steve is a percussionist, with experience playing timbales, congas and Haitian traditional instruments.
Discography:
- “Erzili” (La Troupe Makandal)
- “Angels in the Mirror” (Elizabeth McAlister) Smithsonian Folkways
- “Rhythms of the Spirits” (Steve Deats)
In 2009 Steven received the Spring Valley NAACP President’s Community Service Award and the CEJJES Institute Omega Psi Phi Fraternity CEJJES/Xi Lambda Lambda Education Award. In 2010 he was honored by the Martin Luther King Multi-purpose Center as an Education Activist, and by the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Epsilon Chi Chapter as an Agent of Change, and received the Spring Valley NAACP “Unsung Hero” award for outstanding service to humanity, dedicated leadership and tireless promotion of social justice. In 2013 he received a community service award from the Haitian American Nurses Association of Rockland County, and together with his wife Emilia, received the Nyack Area Peace Award from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. In April, 2015 he was inducted into the County Civil Rights Hall of Fame.