The Journey From Industrial Arts Student to Human Rights Advocate
- Donald V. Watkins
- May 14
- 2 min read
Updated: May 15
By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on May 14, 2025
In May 1966, I graduated from the Alabama State College Laboratory School in Montgomery, Alabama. From the 9th to 12th grades, I took college courses in Industrial Arts. I was preparing for a career as a residential architect.
My Industrial Arts courses focused on residential designs, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems, layouts for homes, furniture making, and exterior finishes. I loved these courses, especially the ones in which we designed and built fully functional, small-scale model homes.
In September 1966, I entered Southern Illinois University (SIU) as a freshman student. SIU was the professorial home of R. Buckminster Fuller, one of the leading architects of the 20th century. I wanted to be taught architecture by the "best of the best."
During my sophomore year, I read a book in the SIU library that changed my life plan and career path, forever. The book was about the Scottsboro Boys case. I remembered my parents talking to my brothers and me about the Scottsboro Boys’ ordeal when we were growing up in Montgomery, Alabama during the 1950s. The book provided the ugly details regarding the Boys' experience in the openly racist Alabama criminal justice system of the 1930s.
From that day forward, I began to prepare for a career as a civil rights advocate. My journey down that road started by desegregating the University of Alabama’s law school in 1970, along with George Jones and three Black students who were in the class ahead of us.
After graduating from law school in 1973, I passed the Alabama Bar exam on my first attempt. For the next 46 years, I had the honor of meeting and representing thousands of the bravest and most inspirational men, women, and children in America's growing civil rights movement. Throughout my legal career, I fought with and for these remarkable clients in their quest to advance and protect the civil and human rights of marginalized Americans in the face of massive resistance to positive change in society.
In 1996, the world of business emerged as my primary opportunity zone. By 2007, my businesses were international in scope and focused in the clean energy sector. Today, I enjoy exciting professional and personal relationships that span the globe.
My business travels outside the U.S. afforded me a unique opportunity to escape the gravitational pull of Alabama-style "cradle to the grave" racism. They also caused me to pay close attention to geopolitical events and human rights issues in countries around the globe.
Looking back on everything today, I realize how incredibly blessed I have been to experience a trailblazing and rewarding legal career, as well as an inspirational and energizing career in international business. My career journey has been amazing, and the opportunity zones afforded to me have been fascinating.
At heart, I am still that young man who loves building things, tackling hard assignments, overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, and preparing for the next generation of business opportunities.
Many people focus their time and energy on crafting an artificial and shallow public image for community acceptance purposes. I focus my time and energy on building my character and adhering to basic principles of human decency.
The wealthiest people I know are the ones who have the greatest number of true friends, not the ones who have large sums of money but no trusted friends. A true friend is not motivated by what you can do for him/her. Instead, a true friend is motivated by what love and support he/she can bring into your life.
I learned a long time ago that the hand that offers genuine friendship is always more valuable than the hand that offers money only.