By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published on February 4, 2018
After weeks of online debate, Wikipedia deleted its page titled “Donald Watkins” for the second time in less than three months. Since August 2017, “dirty tricks” operatives aligned with accused rapist Terry Jackson “Sweet T” Bunn, Jr., and The University of Alabama have skillfully manipulated the Wikipedia editorial process in order to sabotage my Wikipedia page. The primary goal of this cyberattack was to erase my personal and professional history from the Internet.
Sweet T is the man University of Alabama honors student Megan Rondini identified as her rapist in a July 2, 2015 police report. His father is a rich and powerful mega-donor to the Crimson Tide Foundation.
Megan’s rape case was featured in the June 22, 2017 online edition of BuzzFeed News. My Facebook articles investigated the local law enforcement and University officials who mishandled Megan’s case in the criminal justice system. My ongoing news coverage of this incident has infuriated a lot of well-connected people in Alabama.
Huntsville, Alabama native Jimmy Wales founded Wikipedia and serves on its board of directors. Wales graduated from Auburn University and earned a master’s degree at The University of Alabama.
Wikipedia initially justified its deletion by saying I was not “notable” enough for inclusion in Wikipedia. In response, I provided Wikipedia with online links to news articles in the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, New York Daily News, L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Fortune Small Business Magazine, and other national media outlets that chronicled more than four decades on my life experiences, landmark legal cases, and business history in America.
I reminded Wikipedia that young porn stars have Wikipedia pages because editors affiliated with Wikipedia have deemed them to be “notable.” The only achievement these performers have demonstrated is their willingness to engage in a wide variety of sexual acts on video.
Early on, I was deemed “notable” by Wikipedia, which maintained a page on me for many years. Obviously, something happened inside the Wikipedia community in late 2017, and again in early 2018, that made me a target for deletion.
Yesterday, Wikipedia notified me that its deletion decision was final.
Sadly, African-Americans have always had their histories ignored, minimized, stolen, and/or erased. As evidenced in my case, Wikipedia has been a contributor to this inexcusable trend.
It should be noted that many of Wikipedia’s editors and administrators are European citizens from countries with a history of colonizing Africa and other nations with indigenous people of color. For the most part, these Wikipedia decision-makers have no appreciation for the “fair treatment” arguments advanced by those whose histories have been historically ignored, minimized, stolen, and/or erased by these former colonial powers.
Fortunately, the Internet has made it possible for people of color to record, preserve, and distribute oral and written histories about their lives and careers. I have created a website for this express purpose.
Starting this week, I will be publishing my articles on donaldwatkins.com. I will also publish them on my public Facebook page. Additionally, I will be archiving the hundreds of previously published Facebook articles on my website, including classics like “Forbidden Love” and “Executive Betrayal.”
I will never again depend upon Wikipedia to tell my story. This open media platform is too susceptible to racial bias and unsuspecting manipulation by anonymous cyber-saboteurs.
Likewise, I will never again depend upon Facebook as the exclusive platform for distributing my news articles. Facebook can be easily manipulated and hacked. Just ask the Russians.
From this point forward, I will tell my stories, record my history, and distribute my articles on my website.
Check out my website and help me make it better by visiting: donaldwatkins.com.
