CLASSROOM IN THE ACTIVITIES Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson, former City Council Member and ardent advocate for reparations, dead at 72

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

This week’s profile is a twofer since it was originally published in the Detroit Metro Times . That JoAnn Watson deserves more mention is in keeping with the national and international reputation she burnished during her seven decades with us. In so many vital ways as a minister, public servant, political leader, and community activist, she was unstinting—to say nothing of her commitment to reparations. Here is how her obituary appeared last week in the Metro Times

“The Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson’s legend reached well beyond the precincts of Detroit, where she was a formidable political leader of the City Council. In the vast realm of Black liberation, selfdetermination, and the reparations movement, she was a remarkable clear-eyed visionary, and the notice of her death also brings in its wake a storehouse of fond memories. Rev. Watson was 72 years old. The cause of death has not yet been made public.”

A flood of condolences and encomiums have since come, and quite deservedly for a woman who strode passionately in the political, activist, and religious sectors of our society. She recounted many of these experiences in the foreword of the paperback version of “Black Detroit,” a book she praised that captured her own history in the city, “particularly when the Young administration was running the city and when I was a City Council Member.”

She dashed off the introduction with her usual speed and flair, giving the book additional heft and insight. This was the JoAnn that resonated first for me, bringing back those moments when we traveled to Durban, South Africa, in 2001 as delegates to the United Nations World Conference Against Racism. I can still see her standing with Reparations Ray at the Million Man March in 1995.

And on many occasions, I was a guest on her radio program and television show “Wake Up Detroit” or in her classroom when she was a professor at Wayne County Community College. There was even a memorable encounter with her at the West Side Unity Church, where she was an associate pastor.

A cursory glance at her impressive résumé denotes her unwavering commitment to reparations, often sharing the podiums and pulpits with the late Rep. John Conyers and Dr. Ron Daniels of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century. Her ideological prowess touched on several prominent formations, including the Republic of New Afrika, the Shrine of the Black Madonna, and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers. She had a way of lending a personal touch to the differences between these entities, thoughtfully finding a way for mutual accord in their struggle for total liberation.

Already the people she represented and pastored have offered their reflections on a life well-lived. “Her dedication to the betterment of the city and her fearlessness in challenging unjust systems have left a lasting impression. Her legacy serves as an inspiration for others to continue the important work she started. May JoAnn Watson’s memory be cherished, and may her contributions continue to resonate within the community she served,” said Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.

My good friend and longtime associate, Danny Aldridge, recalled his first days with JoAnn when she was a student at Central High School. “She was a very perceptive and actively engaged student, and I wasn’t surprised later when she worked with my aunt Dorothy Height and the National Council of Negro Women.”

Yes, there will be tears for JoAnn, but those who came to know her unflinching resolve to bring about change in Detroit and other communities in need of comfort will remember all those joyful moments when her powerful spirit lifted the downtrodden. May she rest in peace and power.

FIND OUT MORE

In various church files, city council records, local newspapers, and magazines, along with clips from her broadcasts on radio and television, Rev. Watson’s life and legacy can be duly accessed.

Discussion

Other than her attendance at Central High School, there is nothing about her early years, which we may be able to gather in the coming weeks from correspondents in Detroit.

Place In Context

JoAnn was a child of the ‘50s and came of age in the dynamic ‘60s and ‘70s where she assumed a leadership role in politics and religious affairs, principally in Detroit.