Douglas H. White

Douglas H. White is a civil rights activist, lawyer, and government official whose career has centered on human and civil rights and labor law. He was Human Rights Commissioner for the State of New York, City Personnel Director/Commissioner of the City of New York, and Deputy Fire Commissioner for New York City. He recently completed a memoir entitled Unbroken: The Last Generation of Black Americans Under Jim Crow and the Culture of Racism in America.

In this April 14, 1964, black-and-white file photo, a man holds a Confederate flag at right, as demonstrators, including one carrying a sign reading, “More than 300,000 Negroes are Denied Vote in Ala,” demonstrate in front of an Indianapolis hotel where then–Alabama Governor George Wallace was staying.

We Overcame Jim Crow by Confronting Injustice. We Can Do it Again. We Overcame Jim Crow by Confronting Injustice. We Can Do it Again.

Those billy clubs striking my body strengthened my mind and convinced me that we could overcome segregation. We did so then, and we can overcome Trump’s America today.

May 1, 2025 / Douglas H. White

In this April 14, 1964, black-and-white file photo, a man holds a Confederate flag at right, as demonstrators, including one carrying a sign reading, “More than 300,000 Negroes are Denied Vote in Ala,” demonstrate in front of an Indianapolis hotel where then–Alabama Governor George Wallace was staying.

Trump’s Presidency Reminds Me of the Segregation and Jim Crow of My Youth Trump’s Presidency Reminds Me of the Segregation and Jim Crow of My Youth

The xenophobic, bigoted, and cruel policies of the Trump administration are bringing back traumatic memories of American racism and all the nightmares that went with it.

Mar 6, 2025 / Douglas H. White

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