Barry White, a lecturer in the Department of American Studies and UB alumnus, passed away last Thursday. White, a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, has focused his work in cultural diversity training on agencies involved in implementing the Indian Child Welfare Act and has held countless seminars and distance learning conferences for educators of the Seneca community.
White graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in American Studies in 1972 and received his master's in 1977 in American Studies. He joined the Buffalo Board of Education as a teacher of social studies for grades seven through 12 over an 11-year period. White designed and implemented a complete secondary-level curriculum in Native American History while working for the Board of Education and concentrated on working with special education and physically challenged students.
White was a student activist during his undergraduate and master's career at UB in the 1960s, according to Donald A. Grinde, Jr., professor and chair of the Department of American Studies.
"He was instrumental in the creation of the Department of American Studies and Native American Studies," Grinde said. "I've known him for almost 40 years and we were both active in Native American politics and issues. He was a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians and had a really strong commitment to service and to making the university more accessible to Native Americans and also to making Native American culture and ideas more accessible to non-native students at UB."
Additionally, upon his graduation in 1977, White began lecturing in American Studies and Native American Studies at UB. He taught a number of courses, including Introduction to Native American History, Contemporary Problems of the American Indian, American Indian Identity Crisis, Indian Images on Film, and graduate courses in Supervision in Reading, Research, Fieldwork, and Teaching in American Studies.
Beginning in 1983, White also began working as the training activities coordinator and cultural diversity trainer at the Center for Development of Human Services at Buffalo State College.
White continued this commitment to his culture from the time he was a student activist until his death, according to Grinde.
"He was always a humorous and easygoing person," Grinde said. "I learned a lot from him about [the] Seneca and Iroquois cultures, and we had a longstanding friendship that we maintained – in part, because of our interest in Native American studies and also just because he was such a warm and vibrant and caring person."
As a contributor to countless publications and scholarly talks, White was also active in community service. He was Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Longhouse of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation of the Haudenosaunee, where he was responsible for maintaining the customs and traditions of his people.
Additionally, he was a board member on the Native American Family Services Commission in Buffalo and a Seneca Nation of Indians Inc. Delegate to the SUNY Native American Western Consortium at SUNY Fredonia, among other memberships to community groups and councils.
"As a fellow Native colleague, I first met Barry when I joined the Department of American Studies in 2007," said Theresa McCarthy, assistant professor of American Studies. "Barry embodied so many of the qualities that are highly valued in our Haudenosaunee culture [that are] reflected in the depth of his caring and love for our people, his compassion for others, his humility, his generosity with his time and energy, and his overall ‘good mind.'"
White was tirelessly committed to promoting the continuity of Haudenosaunee languages and traditions and was especially dedicated to supporting the well-being of Native students, according to McCarthy.
"He never hesitated to provide assistance whenever called upon to do so, whether it be committee work, speaking engagements, student recruitment or educational outreach," McCarthy said. "He worked exceedingly hard in the service of both our department and the surrounding community. Barry has taught, counseled, mentored and inspired countless Native students at UB and across the Western New York region for several decades.
"As a longtime advocate for the educational successes of Native people, he was nevertheless adamant that respecting the value of our own indigenous knowledge and of who we are as Haudenosaunee peoples always remains central to meeting these goals."
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Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
