Conversations with Don Devereux about Social Entrepreneurship

Don Devereux (b. 1934) had a long, self-made career in social entrepreneurship predominately in New Mexico and Arizona. In these conversations with Erik Devereux, recorded in 2022, Don discusses this work and contributes to the body of knowledge in the field.

Part 1: Background. In the first of this series of conversations, Don Devereux discusses how he became involved with social entrepreneurship in his teen years through advocating for driver's education in high schools. The skills he exhibited then translated into how he managed a military installation in Greenland during the Korean War. All of this is background to the forthcoming episodes in this series that will delve into examples of social entpreneurship in New Mexico in the 1960s and 1970s, and Arizona in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

Part 2: The New Mexico Years. In this second conversation in the series, Don Devereux discusses his efforts at social entrepreneurship in New Mexico from 1963 to 1975. Among these efforts were opening a public library in El Rito, forming and operating agricultural and weaving cooperatives under the auspices of the federal Office of Economic Opportunity as supported by private philanthropy, and creating a heroin addiction clinic in Santa Fe. A 1972 Public Television documentary about the heroin clinic is available on YouTube here.

Part 3: Arizona Farm Labor, 1977-1986. In this third interview in the series, Don Devereux discusses with Erik Devereux his involvement in the Maricopa County Organizing Project and the Arizona Farmworkers Union that addressed terrible working conditions for Mexican Nationals working seasonal agricultural jobs in Central Arizona. The conversation also touches on founding a community health clinic that now is among the largest HMOs in Arizona. For more information about the investigative journalism that brought Don Devereux to the attention of labor organizers in Arizona, you can visit his website and watch the documentary on Amazon Prime Video, "Who Killed Don Bolles?"

Part 4: Lessons and Reflections. In this fourth and final interview in the series, Don Devereux looks back over 50 years of social activism, community organizing, and social entrepreneurship to discuss the lessons learned about achieving social change at the community level.