She Loved Detroit
Sometimes a loss is too big to hold. It leaves a hole that can never be filled, a wound that will never quite heal. Such is the loss of the Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson. Her death on Monday July 10, 2023, shocked the city.
Although she was a woman who spent her life as a public figure fighting for justice, her loss is intensely personal to thousands of Detroiters. Across the city people are posting pictures of moments with JoAnn Watson, expressing their grief. Collectively, these photos document decades of her intimate involvement with people. Community meetings, celebrations, committee hearings, family outings, concerts, and public protests were enriched by her presence. Sometimes she offered a formal speech, sometimes a word of prayer, sometimes she just listened.
It was out of her love for Detroit and for the Black community that nurtured her that she helped shape the national understanding of the depths of racism in America. Her energies fueled the growth of the NAACP in Detroit, becoming the largest chapter in the country. She was a beloved member of the city council for a decade, leading the fight for Water Affordability and against the takeover of the city by Emergency Management.
She shifted the policies and practices of major organizations such as the YWCA and the American Girl project. She was a key founder of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA) and co-chaired the recently formed reparations task force in the city. She was often the voice of Detroit on the international scene as well. One of her most important contributions, she always thought, had been her participation in the United Nations World Conference on Racism. Her radio show, Wake Up Detroit, was a constant source of news about the issues most critical to the health and life of the community.
Over the years I have been fortunate to have worked with Rev. Watson in several community struggles. There are few people from whom I have learned more. She had a keen sense of strategy, rooted in decades of experience. But more importantly, she had the gift of helping people see beyond their own concerns to the greater issues of the community. While she struggled for the people, she also struggled with them, in countless meetings where she encouraged actions, reminding us of the legacy of struggle and the debts we owe the past and the future.
In the early days of the fight against Emergency Management, I happened upon her sitting alone in the Atrium at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center on WSU campus. She was waiting for some kind of “official” interview around the Bankruptcy hearings. We sat for an hour, talking not so much about the issues of the day, but of her love of writing and her belief in the power of the written word to shape reality.
That led her to talking about power. She was concerned that people, especially public officials, liked to focus on the power they don’t have, rather than the power they do have. She said that as a city council person she tried to use her power to hold public hearings to not only bring attention to issues and hold the government accountable, but to provide ways for people to learn and develop. Power, she thought, should be used to advance community struggle.
It was a generous lesson. Like all her offerings, given with love and a feeling that we can always do better, always find a way to move toward justice.
When her friend Aretha Franklin died, Rev. Dr. Watson gave one of the most personal and moving eulogies. Her words for Ms. Franklin describe her as well. She said:
“She was a woman filled with a stirring soul that touched your heart, evoked passion, and a special insight. There's just not another voice in the universe comparable … She truly was our queen. She was a wonderful woman. … She was a woman who felt deeply about causes. She was as committed to human rights and civil rights…and she loved Detroit, I mean, she loved Detroit.”
Detroit and the country have lost a voice that can never be replaced.