Don Alexander was born in Cincinnati, OH in 1933. By age 6 his family moved to Chicago, IL, and that is where Alexander called home until 1950 when he and his family moved to Los Angeles, CA. In 1989 Don and his wife, Fran moved to Seattle, WA and have been here ever since.
By trade, Alexander was a construction laborer, belonging to Laborer’s Local #300. During the 30 plus years he worked as a union laborer, he held almost every position available, both dispatched by the union and elected by fellow union brothers. In April 1985, Alexander’s working career came to an abrupt end when he was in a crippling auto accident, which it took him over 5 years to recover from.
Alexander learned activism from both the times in which he lived, the Great Depression, and from his parents and older brother and sister. He grew up in Cabrini Public Housing Project in Chicago. One of his first memories was, at the direction of his mother, to physically move families back into their apartments when they were forcibly evicted.
Other remembrances from his early days in Chicago are: Integrating movie theaters and the beaches on Lake Michigan. His father was involved in the Emit Till case, which Alexander also worked on.
As Alexander grew up, he exposed to the injustices and realities of his day — segregation, racism, inequality, and lack of work for non-Whites. Throughout his life Alexander worked at and developed a total commitment to help better the human condition no matter where he lived or worked.
Aside from working and being involved in union politics, Alexander became involved in the Civil Rights Movement of which he refers to as Human Rights. He organized his union brothers to support his efforts and to become involved themselves and as an organization in Human Rights. He worked to free Angela Davis and when she was freed he was part of her Security team.
Alexander also provided protection for the family of the Rev. Ben Chavis in North Carolina during the time that Chavis was in prison. In Los Angeles, he worked with various organizations that endeavored to obtain equity, equality, and basic Human Rights. He worked tirelessly against Police Abuse. He worked in Anti-War efforts, Rent Control, etc. He also organized the women at Frontera Prison for Women in Southern California for better conditions at the prison. If he was needed in an organization, he always answered calls for his input, assistance and advocacy.
During those years Alexander married and had 5 children – all seniors now!!!! Years after he and his wife divorced, Alexander married his current wife, Fran.
Alexander was very proud when his sister, Charlene Mitchell, ran for President of the United States in 1968. The first Black woman to do so. He later worked with her in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
In 1989 Alexander and Fran moved to Seattle, WA. After arriving in Seattle and getting settled, Alexander was invited to be a panelist at a forum at the University of Washington to discuss the upcoming “1st Gulf War”. After the meeting a teacher from Rainier Beach High School went up to Alexander and said “WE NEED YOU AT RBHS”. That teacher was Michelle Jacobsen.
After his first day of observing what was going on at Rainier Beach, Alexander chose to spend the rest of his retirement working feverishly to upgrade the school both physically and academically. As he realized the lack of resources and how poorly equipped the school was RBHS, especially as compared to the high schools on the North End, the more he became involved in the everyday and long-term happenings at the school. After meeting and knowing the Principal and teachers, Alexander was there daily walking the halls, observing all aspects of the daily lives of the young folks attending Rainier Beach in the hallway and the classrooms. The more he saw the more infuriated he became with the lack of interest in this school by the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools and its Board. So Alexander did what he did best.
Every week, Alexander was at the School Board Meetings demanding equal resources for Rainer Beach as the resources spent in the North End schools. He was determined to make sure the young folks at Rainier Beach would have a quality education.
Alexander was instrumental in the following advocacy efforts at Rainier Beach:
- The building of the Performance Arts Center and naming the Paul Robeson Performance Arts Center. Prior to its being built, there was no auditorium at RBHS. The land it is on was an empty lot;
- Having the ROTC removed from campus during the 1st Gulf War. There were no colleges or university of institutions of higher learning recruiting graduating seniors, only the military;
- Bringing Broadway Bound, a theater group of young folks, all ages, from all of the Seattle Schools, including RBHS to RBHS. They successfully performed Dream Girls and Cats to name a few of the theatrical plays performed in the Paul Robeson Performance Arts Center.
In Seattle, Alexander successfully advocated for students who were threatened with suspensions and expulsions.
Having been in prison when he was 16 years old, Alexander felt a particular need to help children who were headed towards the life that he was able to overcome. He volunteered at Echo Glen tying to impart his wisdom on the young folks there to help them straighten out their lives.
He also volunteered with a group of activists from Seattle who went to Monroe Correctional Facility weekly and became a member of the Black Prisoners Alliance.
When there was injustice – Alexander would be there to remedy it or try to remedy it.
When he turned 75 years young the only fitting birthday present Fran could find was to start a scholarship fund to award to two graduating students, a young woman and a young man, both of Black American ancestry (descendants of slaves) to help them attend a school of higher learning or training. These students had to have a want/desire to come back, not necessarily to Rainier Beach, but to “Pay it Forward” to Make Better the Human Condition. After having a 75th birthday party for Alexander, his family able to raise enough money to seed the scholarship. With help and guidance of Dr. John Garry help and guidance, and Eleanor Goodall, Chapter Chair of RBHS Dollars for Scholars, The Don Alexander “Freedom Is A Constant Struggle” scholarship award became one of the scholarships offered by Scholarship America’s local chapter of Dollars for Scholars. Since the inception and implementation in 2008 of the scholarship fund has awarded scholarships to 14 young folks (7 men and 7 women).
Alexander’s accomplishments in other activities, include: 7 years as a Commissioner of the Seattle Human Rights Commission where his accomplishments are too numerous to mention. He was the longest serving Commissioner on the Seattle Human Rights Commission. One of the last things Alexander involved himself with was the Police shooting of Charleena Lyles.
The last thing Alexander did, in keeping with his theme of helping young people, on March 21st, 5 days before he passed, he was at RBHS to meet with and talk with the young people of the Theater Arts Dept. He was in his element. It was beautiful.
