The Threats of Bodily Harm to My Young Sons, Donald Watkins, Jr., and Light Watkins, Hurt Me the Most
- Donald V. Watkins
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted on July 17, 2026
I have five children – four sons with DeAndra and one daughter with Susan. They are my greatest and most precious assets. I love them and they love me. Our love for each other is unconditional.
My children grew up in Alabama at a time when the state waged massive resistance to federal court orders that enforced civil rights, voting rights, and fair housing rights for blacks. My law practice came with a series of nationally profiled civil rights, voting rights, and fair housing rights cases and an endless stream of threats of death to me and physical harm to my children.
We took all of these threats seriously because we knew Alabama was a hotbed for violent resistance to civil rights, voting rights, and fair housing rights for black Americans. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., my childhood pastor, had his church's parsonage bombed on January 30, 1956, while his wife and young daughter were in the home.
Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth's church, Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, was targeted by white racists in three separate bombings. The church's parsonage was destroyed on Christmas Day, 1956. The church was also bombed on June 29, 1958, and suffered additional bomb damage on December 14, 1962.
Civil rights attorney Arthur Shores had his Birmingham home bombed twice -- on August 20, 1963, and again on September 4, 1963.
On September 15, 1963, four little girls were killed when a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church during the Sunday School hour.
These home and church bombings taught me that hateful white racists would hurt or kill my children to hurt me as a parent. They also showed me the unbelievable amount of collusion between local white law enforcement officials and the racist home/church bombers.
Keeping My Family Safe
In the 1970s, the first line of protection for my children was to keep a measured distance from them in public. I didn't want to draw attention to them. What quality time we enjoyed together was spent in our home or in my parent's home. For safety reasons, we minimized the amount of public information about my family. This reduced public exposure also reduced the risk of harm to my children from violence-prone white racists in the state.
My second line of protection was the formation of an ad hoc patrol of black Montgomery police officers who were led by Cpl. Sidney T. Williams. Cpl. Williams was the named plaintiff in the landmark employment discrimination class action case that desegregated the top ranks of the police department all the way up to position of police chief. I was his lawyer, close friend, and neighbor.
In an arrangement that lasted for many years, these brave black police officers guarded my home around-the-clock. They checked my two cars for bombs every morning. They also stationed themselves outside of my law office whenever I worked after-hours.
My investigation into the nationally profiled 1975 police shooting of an innocent and unarmed city resident named Bernard Whitehurst brought threats of bodily harm to my young children. For months, anonymous callers to my home threatened to throw acid in my children’s faces if I didn’t back off. The two children who were most at risk were Donald Watkins, Jr., and Light Watkins, who were almost 4 and 3, respectively.
I never backed off. What is more, my wife DeAndra firmly supported my dangerous civil rights work during this period.
Today, my children are grown. My village in Montgomery and Birmingham kept them safe. My children are happy and fulfilled. They live and work around the world.
Now, I can finally exhale, relax, and share the love I have for my children openly and publicly. I really enjoy doing so.