UCSC psychology professor Aaronette White dies at age 51

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SANTA CRUZ - Aaronette M. White, a professor of social psychology at UC Santa Cruz, who wrote and spoke widely about issues of race and gender, died of a cerebral aneurysm Aug. 13 at her Santa Cruz home. She was 51.

White was a gifted teacher who loved teaching and was beloved by her students, her family said. She was an exceptional scholar who believed in putting theory into everyday life. In July, White was named associate dean of equity and social responsibility for the UCSC Division of Social Sciences.

Named after her father, White was born in 1961 in St. Louis, the fourth of five sisters. According to her family, she began speaking out against injustice in elementary school, a trait she attributed to her mother and one she maintained for the rest of her life.

White earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri, and her masters and doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis.

While completing her master's degree in clinical psychology, White observed that one reason that helped maintain an imbalance of power between men and women was that women kept experiences of sexual assault and rape private. By 1993, White became an anti-rape activist and began speaking openly about her experiences of sexual assault and rape.

Among her many interests was music, particularly the music of John Coltrane. In 2001, she was awarded an Alden B. Dow Creativity Fellowship to research the relationship between Coltrane's evolution as a jazz musician and the evolution of feminism in African American men.

She joined UCSC as an associate professor in 2008 after teaching at Pennsylvania State University. Previously, she had affiliations with a variety of institutions around the world including Harvard University, the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, and positions in South Africa, the Netherlands, Suriname and Ethiopia.

She was editor of African Americans Doing Feminism: Putting Theory into Everyday Practice, her second collection of personal stories. An earlier book, Ain't I a Feminist? African American Men Speak Out on Fatherhood, Friendship, Forgiveness, and Freedom focused on the feminist experiences of black men.

At the time of her death, White was working on two books based on her research in Ethiopia while on a Fulbright Fellowship in 2009-2010, her second Fulbright.

White is survived by her parents, Aaron and Earline White, of St. Louis; sisters, Ruby Brimer, of St. Louis; Anitra Nevels, of St. Louis; Lisa Diane White, of Atlanta; Angela MW Thanyachareon, of Lorton, Va.; two nieces, three nephews, four great nieces, and four great nephews.

A memorial celebration of her life is planned Sept. 1 in St. Louis. A memorial on the UCSC campus will be scheduled for a later date. Another memorial will be held in Atlanta in October.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to "NO, the Rape Documentary" film project at http://NOtheRapeDocumentary.org/.

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