(Photo by Chesapeake Bay Program)

Update

In a video posted to Facebook in mid-July, Councilmember Trayon White told a group of children that he would be attending Regent University Law School online in the fall and that he would be a lawyer “in the next four to five years.”

But on August 10, the Afro reported that White “hasn’t made a final decision on whether he will attend that school, or any other.”

In Facebook posts on August 7 and August 9, White appears to be studying for the LSAT, the law school entrance exam. It is unclear if it will be the first time the councilmember takes the exam or if he is retaking it for another application cycle.

White’s office has not responded to repeated requests for comment. We will update the story if we hear back.

Original

In a video posted to Facebook on Friday, Councilmember Trayon White told a group of elementary school-age kids that he’s officially on his way to law school. He said he will take online courses at Regent University, a Christian school founded and led by controversial televangelist Pat Robertson.

White posted to his own Facebook last month that he’d gotten accepted to two law schools. It was unclear whether he would accept the offers or how he might plan to balance academic obligations with his duties as the Ward 8 councilmember.

White’s four-year term as a councilmember doesn’t end until 2020, and like his colleagues, he often has a tightly packed schedule.

In the video, White says he plans to attend night school and online classes at Regent, which is located in Virginia Beach.

“I’m headed to law school next month at Regent University, online,” he told the kids. “And so I’ll become a lawyer probably in the next four to five years.”

The video was posted by Cora Masters Barry, the late Marion Barry’s widow, and first noted by Curbed’s Andrew Giambrone.

When a young girl in the group asks White why he wants to be a lawyer, he cites inspiration from educated civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I saw that a lot of people that affected lives during the civil rights era had a lot of education. So I feel like, hey, I can go back to school,” he said.

White also cited the arrest of his brother, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for what White said was a white-collar crime.

“I felt like in my community…they need people that care about them and love them to represent them in court. Because sometimes when you don’t have the right representation, you’re going to get a stiffer penalty,” he said. “So instead of talking about the problem all the time, I’m trying to figure out how I can use my life to be a part of the solution.”

White’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.