Captain Jonathan White ('87) joins Mike, Grant, and Megan to share his origin story, in which he leaps straight from Lynchburg, Virginia's cradle of the religious right into a volatile time and place in New College history. We return to the story of the "Lorax Rebellion" student protest with a different perspective on how it came to be and the ways the destruction of the native grove represented a brutal defeat and loss of faith in institutions for so many. The lesson forged young Jonathan's steely resolve to quietly and steadily accrue power so that he could do good in the world.
His transformative experiences participating in New College's first LGBTQ+ student organization and being a part of the 1987 "Second March on Washington" set the stage for his move to DC post-New College. However, the 90s were not without an uncanny series of career setbacks as Jonathan struggled to find his place in academia and beyond. He decided to try something different and reboot as a social worker, eventually getting his foot in the door at the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, slowly working his way up in the ranks—in uniform!
It turns out Jonathan found his true calling in disaster management and crisis response at a time when the world most needed him. Many will remember then Commander White's brave testimony before Congress and his subsequent work reuniting families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. Jonathan urges those who care about New College to take care of each other and not to lose hope but to broaden our scope and adjust our efforts toward achievable goals.
Notes:
Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority was a keystone of conservative culture in the 1980s.
The October 1987 “Second March on Washington” was in part a response to the government’s lack of response to the AIDS crisis as a public health matter, as well as a call for lesbian and gay rights.
The SRQ authority is still doing deals with New College administrators. (In this case, the authority has some close, personal connections with the new administrators.)
Dean Robert V. Barylski has recorded his own memories of New College events.
Joe Caffentzis works as an administrator at Columbia University, and is also active in the Lovecraft fan community.
The Lorax is a children’s book by Dr. Seuss that not everyone has read.
There was an active aikido community, studying the Japanese martial art based on Taoist principles of reflection, redirection and circular motion; seiza is the formal sitting posture used to teach other body postures. .
Justice for Janitors is a movement, a campaign, and an organization.
“Kettling” is when police confine protestors (and anyone else on a particular sidewalk or street) for an extended period of time, not allowing anyone to leave.
Whitman-Walker has been serving health needs of the LGBTQ+ community since the 1970s.
The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is a uniformed service of the U.S. government, active around the world.
Hurricane Ike was a large, wet, Category 2 storm that, due to widespread flooding, is the third-costliest hurricane to hit the United States, after Andrew and Katrina.
In 2019, White testified during congressional hearings regarding the Migrant Family Separation Policy.
Ventilator shortfalls were sort of a big deal in 2020.
The word “apocalypse” literally means “unveiling” (apo: “un” - kaluptein: “cover or veil”).