The name "White" resonates with diverse stories of families who have faced unique challenges and left lasting impacts. From battling social stigmas to advocating for important causes, the White families' experiences offer compelling narratives of resilience and determination. Here, we delve into the lives of several such families, exploring their struggles, triumphs, and legacies.
Ryan White and the Fight Against AIDS Stigma
Ryan White was born at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Kokomo, Indiana, to Hubert Wayne and Jeanne Elaine (Hale) White. Healthy for most of his childhood, White became extremely ill with pneumonia in December 1984. On December 17, 1984, during a lung biopsy, White was diagnosed with AIDS. As a hemophiliac, White became infected with HIV from a contaminated factor VIII blood treatment and, when diagnosed in December 1984, was given six months to live.
During the 1980s, AIDS was largely stigmatized as an illness impacting the gay community. When White tried to return to school, irate parents and teachers in Howard County rallied against his attendance due to unwarranted concerns of the disease spreading to other students and staff. The means of transmission of HIV had not yet been fully understood by the mid- to late 1980s. Scientists knew it spread via blood and was not transmittable by any sort of casual contact (such as shaking hands or being in the same room). Children with AIDS were still rare; at the time of White's rejection from school, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention knew of only 148 cases of pediatric AIDS in the United States.
A lengthy administrative appeal process ensued, and news of the conflict turned White into a popular celebrity and advocate for AIDS research and public education. White attended Western Middle School for eighth grade during the 1985-1986 school year. He was deeply unhappy and had few friends. The school required him to eat with disposable utensils, use separate bathrooms, and waived his requirement to enroll in a gym class. When a bullet was fired through the Whites' living room window (no one was home at the time), the family decided to leave Kokomo.
Overcoming Stigma: Ryan White's AIDS Education Advocacy
The publicity of Ryan White's story catapulted him into the national spotlight, amidst a growing wave of AIDS coverage in the news media. While isolated in middle school, White appeared frequently on national television and in newspapers to discuss his tribulations with the disease. Eventually, he became known as a poster child for the AIDS crisis, appearing in fundraising and educational campaigns for the syndrome.
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Many celebrities appeared with him, starting during his trial and continuing for the rest of his life, to help publicly destigmatize socializing with people with AIDS. Singers John Mellencamp, Elton John and Michael Jackson, actor Matt Frewer, diver Greg Louganis, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all befriended White. In 1988, Ryan White spoke before the President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic.
In 1989, ABC aired the television movie The Ryan White Story, starring Lukas Haas as Ryan, Judith Light as Jeanne and Nikki Cox as his sister Andrea. Ryan White had a small cameo appearance as "Chad" in the film, playing a boy who also has HIV and later befriends Haas. Nielsen estimated that the movie was seen by 15 million viewers.
By early 1990, White's health was deteriorating rapidly. On March 29, 1990, White entered Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis with a respiratory tract infection. As his condition deteriorated, he was sedated and placed on a ventilator. Over 1,500 people attended White's funeral on April 11, a standing-room only event held at the Second Presbyterian Church on Meridian Street in Indianapolis. White's pallbearers included Elton John, football star Howie Long and Phil Donahue. The funeral was also attended by singer Michael Jackson, and then-First Lady Barbara Bush.
Ryan White was one of a handful of highly visible people with AIDS in the 1980s and early 1990s who helped change the public perception of the disease. Numerous charities formed around White's death. The Indiana University Dance Marathon, started in 1991, raises money for the Riley Hospital for Children. The money raised has also helped fund the Ryan White Infectious Disease Clinic at the hospital to take care of the nation's sickest children.
In 1992, White's mother founded the national nonprofit Ryan White Foundation. In August 1990, four months after Ryan White's death, Congress enacted The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act (often known simply as the Ryan White CARE Act), in his honor. The act is the United States' largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS.
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The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
The film follows the White family over the course of a year in their daily life through first-person interviews. The film mentions the details of the death of patriarch Donald Ray "D. Ray" White, as well as his rise to stardom as one of the most famous mountain dancers of his time. The illness of his widow, Bertie Mae White, is documented throughout the course of the film.
The younger generations of Whites are followed to drug deals, criminal trials, hospital beds, and jail cells to recount the wild and outlandish events in their lives. Stemming from generations of coal miners working in risky job conditions, most of the White family possesses a fatalistic attitude and lack a fear of death. Various members recall violent fights with neighbors, family members, and other locals. Other legal troubles include larceny, prescription fraud, shootings, armed robbery, forgery, stabbings, and child custody battles.
D. Ray worked in the coal mines during the scrip payment era; Mamie explains how D. Ray's frustration with his employers' corrupt practices led him to "outsmarting the system." D. Ray legally signed each of his children up for "crazy checks" during their early adolescence.
Key Family Members:
- Jesco White (born 1956) - son of D. Ray and Bertie; a famous mountain dancer.
- Mamie White - oldest daughter of D. Ray and Bertie; girlfriend of Billy Hastings; she introduces the family at the start of the film.
- Poney White - the only one of D. Ray and Bertie's children to have left Boone County at the time the documentary was produced.
- Sue Bob White - the youngest of D. Ray and Bertie's children; she is a former stripper and the mother of Brandon and Ashley Poe.
- Kirk White - daughter of Bo White; and sister of Derek Castle.
- Derek Castle - son of Bo White; brother of Kirk White.
- Brandon Poe - son of Sue Bob White; he was sentenced to 50 years for the attempted murder of Billy Hastings.
Reception and Impact
The film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and was one of the first films distributed by Tribeca Film's distribution arm. It was an immediate success, knocking Best Picture Oscar winner, The Hurt Locker, from Amazon's top video-on-demand spot. Upon release, Xeni Jardin of Boing Boing proclaimed it “a masterpiece.”
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The Brackeen Family and Adoption Rights
In June 2016, the Brackeens first welcomed a 9-month-old boy, identified in court records as A.L.M., as a foster child in their home. Known as A.L.M. in court papers, this smiling 9-month-old Native American boy came to live with his white foster parents in June 2016 - and they later formally adopted him. The Brackeens later learned that Navajo Nation social workers found an unrelated tribal couple from Arizona who were a preferred placement for the boy.
The Texas couple obtained an emergency stay of the judge’s order and proceeded to file the federal lawsuit now being heard before the Supreme Court.
But the family’s adoption saga took another turn in June 2018 when A.L.M.’s biological mother gave birth to his half-sister, identified in court documents as Y.R.J. When the Brackeens learned their adopted son had a half-sister, they sought custody of her as well. A Texas judge ruled the Brackeens would have primary custody, but needed to take the girl to the Navajo reservation for extended summer visits.
“It’s extremely important to our children and Native children across the country,” Chad Brackeen said of the high court’s ruling in the case. There’s no threat of the Brackeens losing custody of their adopted son, who is now 7, but the Supreme Court decision in Brackeen v. Haaland - expected sometime next spring -could impact his half-sister’s final placement.
Jennifer insists it would be inhumane to separate Y.R.J. “As a mom, the crux of the issue for me is that it’s cruel to remove a child from a home after they’ve bonded and formed a family and see us as their mom and dad,” she said.
Chad White: Model and Family Man
Chad White, a Soul Artist Management model, is spending quarantine with his son Levi, Levi’s mom, and his husky Batman. He emphasizes the importance of spending time with loved ones and maintaining a balance between work and personal life. He is making workouts for friends and trying to keep them motivated. He also focuses on being there for people in his life who need someone to listen or talk to.
Chad also shared his anxieties about the current situation, particularly the health and safety of his loved ones. He expressed concern about not being able to say goodbye to his parents or other loved ones if they were to pass away from the virus.
Chad A. White: A Life Remembered
Chad Anthony White died unexpectedly March 14, 2025. Born June 19, 1970 in Kenmore, NY, he was the son of Kathleen (von der Empten) Rawlings and Raymond White, Jr. Chad was a 1988 graduate of Clarence Central High School. He worked at various occupations throughout his life, and was a dedicated employee. Most recently, Chad was a highly valued supervisor at DiMar Manufacturing in Clarence, NY, where he was employed for the past 12 years. He has always been an avid reader, and was interested in a wide variety of subjects. He enjoyed sports and fantasy leagues. Chad is survived by his mom and step-dad, Kathleen & Daniel Rawlings; siblings Steven White, Derek White, Trevor White, Jared Rawlings, Allyson (Joshua) Jensen; several nieces and nephews.
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