Personal Info

First Name

Ron

Last Name

Whitehorne

Organizational Affiliation

Bio

Ron Whitehorne has been a political activist in Philadelphia for four and a half decades with roots in the civil rights, anti-war and labor movements.   His involvement with education dates back to the sixties when he helped organize an alternative high school, a high school student union and liberation schools that sought to bring an anti-racist perspective to suburban white students.   Later as a community activist in the Kensington area he was involved in education organizing, including an attempt to build a community-union coalition.   Becoming a teacher in the 1980s, he was a long time building rep, helped forge an partnership with parents, school staff and the community to build a new Julia de Burgos school, and co chaired the PFT's Community Outreach Committee.   In this role he participated in effots to further dialogue and create common ground between the unions and the community  

As a classroom teacher Whitehorne was selected as Teacher of the Year for the Edison Cluster in 1998.   As a founding Board member of Youth United for Change  a member of the Notebook's editorial and leadership board, abd a supporter of the Teacher Action Group, remains active since retiring from teaching.

Whitehorne is married to Patty Eakin, a long time leader in nursing unionism.