By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 6, 2025 The military trial of 110 black soldiers in Houston, Texas in 1917. An Editorial Opinion On December 11, 1917, 13 black soldiers were hanged following racial violence in Houston. It was the largest mass execution of American soldiers in the history of the U.S. Army.  This tragic event has been chronicled by the Montgomery, Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative .   By September 1918, a total of 110 black soldiers had been convicted and 19 had been hanged following military trials that were fundamentally unfair and racially biased.   What Led to the Mass Lynching?   In July 1917, the all-black 3rd Battalion of the 24th United States Infantry Regiment, a unit known as the Buffalo Soldiers, was stationed at Camp Logan, near Houston, to guard white soldiers preparing for deployment to Europe. From the beginning of their assignment at Camp Logan, the black soldiers were harassed and abused by Houston police.   Early on August 23, 1917, a well-respected corporal was brutally beaten and jailed by police. Police officers regularly beat black troops and arrested them on baseless charges; the August 23 assault was the latest in a string of police abuses that had pushed the black soldiers to their breaking point.   Seemingly under attack by local white authorities, more than 150 black soldiers armed themselves and left for Houston to confront the police about the persistent violence. They planned to stage a peaceful march to the police station as a demonstration against their mistreatment by police. However, just outside the city, the soldiers encountered a mob of armed white men. In the ensuing violence, four soldiers, four policemen, and 12 civilians were killed. No white civilians were ever brought to trial for involvement in the violence.   How was Justice Denied to the Black Soldiers in their Military Trials? The Army convicted 110 black soldiers of murder, mutiny, and other crimes in three mass trials where the soldiers were represented by just one officer who was not even a lawyer.   The all-white military court took just two days to convict the first 58 soldiers. Thirteen men were sentenced to death. They were denied any appeal and were hanged less than 24 hours later -- sparking negative public reactions and prompting the Army to ban future executions without review by the War Department and the president.   The second and third trials resulted in death sentences for an additional 16 soldiers. President Woodrow Wilson commuted 10 of those sentences, but the remaining six men were hanged. NAACP advocacy and legal assistance later helped secure the early release of most of the 50 soldiers who were sentenced to life imprisonment.   In October 2020 and December 2021, the South Texas College of Law petitioned the Army requesting a review of the convictions. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, a Joe Biden-appointee, asked the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to investigate the cases. After a careful review of each individual case, Board members found that “ significant deficiencies permeated the cases ,” according to a  2023 statement from the Army . The Board acknowledged that the proceedings were “ fundamentally unfair ” and unanimously recommended that all 110 convictions be set aside.   “ After a thorough review, the Board has found that these Soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials ,” said Christine Wormuth, who approved the board’s recommendation. “ By setting aside their convictions and granting honorable discharges, the Army is acknowledging past mistakes and setting the record straight. ”   The Army said that, to the extent possible, the soldiers’ military service will be characterized as “ honorable " and the soldiers will be given proper gravestones recognizing their service and their descendants will become eligible for benefits.   Why this Case of Profound Injustice Matters Today?   Under Donald Trump-appointed Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, truth is no longer a valuable commodity in the U.S. military.  Due process is optional and is applied on an arbitrary and caprious basis. Loyalty to the U.S. Constituion has been replace with personal loyalty to Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth. The mistreatment of black soldiers, superior officers, and commanders, both past and present, is profound.  Formal recognition bestowed upon black war heroes has been systemically erased from Pentagon archives, facilities, and premises, while the heroism of their white male peers has been meticulously preserved for public viewing, appreciation, and admiration.  Hegseth is a confirmed alcoholic. Pentagon insiders say he is still drinking. Secretary of Defense/War Pete Hegseth drinking and "commode-hugging" drunk. Pete Hegseth has single-handedly returned the U.S. military to a place where racial prejudice against black soldiers once again reigns supreme. Any black soldier, superior officer, or commander can be subjected to a Pete Hegseth high-tech lynching on a whim and at any moment.     What is worse, Hegseth’s negative views toward blacks, women, and Native soldiers mirror those held by his boss -- Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump, a 5-times Vietnam War draft dodger, a man who openly disparages Gold Star families, and a grifter who uses the U.S. military to generate, grow, and protect wealth creation opportunities for the Trump family in conflict zones around the world.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 5, 2025 Donald Trump, Jr. (center), with 1789 Capital partners Christopher Buskirk (left) and  Omeed Malik (right). An Editorial Opinion  Within days after his father won the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump Jr. joined Palm Beach, Florida-based venture capital firm 1789 Capital as an equity partner.     In August 2025, 1789 Capital invested in Vulcan Elements, a startup manufacturer of rare earth magnets located in Durham, North Carolina.  Vulcan Elements, which had 30 employees, raised the remaining portion of its $65 million in startup capital from investors Altimeter Capital and One Investment Management.   Three months later, Vulcan Elements received a $620 million loan from the U.S. Department of Defense to increase the supply of magnets for industries. This was the largest loan awarded by the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital.      Vulcan Elements also landed more than $10 million in Defense Department contracts across every branch of the U.S. military on a non-bid basis.   U.S. Imperialism and Neo-Colonialism in the DRC and Rwanda   On December 4, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a “ Strategic Partnership Agreement Between the Government of the United States and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ” that gives Vulcan Elements (via its business alliance mining partner in Africa) direct, prioritized, U.S. military-protected, mining access to the DRC’s $24 trillion in untapped rare earth mineral deposits.   Rwanda signed two agreements: (a) The Regional Economic Integration Framework (REIF) between Rwanda and the DRC , and (b) The Framework Between the U.S. and Rwanda for Shared Economic Prosperity .   The package of agreements opens DRC and Rwanda up for full commercial exploitation by U.S. companies under U.S. military protection on a scale not seen since the end of European colonization of Africa.  In exchange for about $2 billion in U.S. aid for each country and U.S. security assurances to prevent violence in the rare earth minerals mining areas, Donald Trump,Jr., Vulcan Elements, and their mining partners will extract up to $24 trillion in rare earth mineral from the DRC, alone. The agreements contain customized language that favors a Donald Trump, Jr.-affiliated mining company in the pre-qualifications, vetting, and selection process for the award of DRC's valuable rare earth minerals mining concessions.   President Trump took joy in announcing the new pro-Trump fleecing agreements. Trump could barely contain his enthusiasm when he said:   "The United States is also signing our own bilateral agreements with the Congo and Rwanda that will unlock new opportunities for the United States to access critical minerals and provide economic benefits for everybody. And we'll be involved with sending some of our biggest and greatest companies over to the two countries, and we're going to take out some of the rare earth, take out some of the assets, and pay, and everybody's going to make a lot of money."   Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers visited the White House in June to secure a peace treaty officially named the “ Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity ." Trump’s plan to fleece DRC and Rwanda of their rare earth minerals for the benefit of his family was hatched shortly after that meeting.   Making Donald Trump, Jr. a Trillionaire   A venture capital firm like 1789 Capital typically take 25% to 50% of the equity in the startup company that receives its investment funds.  Because Vulcan Elements' opportunity to mine rare earth mineral deposits lies in a recently-ended African conflict zone, its equity stake is likely on the high-end of the spectrum. Vulcan Elements will likely partner with a European mining firm for the extraction of DRC’s $24 trillion in untapped rare earth mineral deposits.  European countries have centuries of experiences in raping African nations of their natural resources.   Using the White House as leverage, Donald Trump, Jr., is positioned to pre-sell all of the mined and extracted rare earth minerals to the U.S. military on long-term, multiyear, non-bid contracts worth trillions of dollars to 1789 Capital.  Vulcan Elements and its mining partners will likely win the government-awarded exclusive mining concessions contemplated under the separate U.S. -DRC bilateral agreement   The security agreement executed between President Trump, DRC, and Rwanda on December 4th commits U.S. troops on the ground to protect Donald Trump, Jr.’s rare earth mineral deposits, mining operations, the supply chain from Africa to the U.S., and his recurring revenues from the sell and delivery of these rare earth minerals to the U.S.   The framework documents, security assurances, and strategic partnership agreements signed between the U.S., DRC, and Rwanda on December 4, 2025, have Donald Trump, Jr., well on his way to trillionaire status.    On the same day of the signing ceremony, DRC and Rwanda became the biggest losers on the African continent. They proudly and voluntarily ushered in Donald Trump's version of neo-colonialism seven years after Trump called their nations "Shithole" countries. On December 4, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a rare earth minerals mining deal when Presidents Felix Tshisekedi (DRC) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) signed agreements to provide U.S. companies direct access to their $24 trillion in untapped rare earth mineral deposits. The other big losers in this deal are the American people who: (a) funded Vulcan Elements with a $620 million Department of Defense loan, (b) committed U.S. military forces to the region at taxpayers' expense, and (c) made it possible for Donald Trump to become a trillionaire with very little personal money in the deal. In return, they got no money out of the deal. This is a classic example of what happens with "Trickle Down" economics.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 4, 2025 Doristine Watkins Minott I talk to Doristine Watkins Minott every day.  The public knows her as “ Tina Minott .” In our family, we call her “Teannie.”   Teannie is two years older than me. She is also my youngest sister. Teannie is No. 4 and I am No. 5 of the six children of Levi and Lillian Watkins. We are extremely close as siblings.  Watkins siblings (left to right): Annie Marie, Emma Pearl, Levi Jr., Doristine, and Donald in Montgomery, Alabama in 1950. Our baby brother James was an infant when this photo was taken and is not shown. Whatever trials and tribulations I have gone through since childhood, Teannie has been there for me every step of the way.  She has blocked for me on the playing field of life for as long as I can remember. Donald Watkins (left) and Doristine Watkins (right) with their maternal grandmother Sallie Emma Watkins, circa 1949. Teannie is also one of my personal heroes.  I look up to her.  I admire and respect her. I value Teannie’s judgment and opinion on virtually every subject because she is super-smart, very good at analyzing complex situations, and quick on her feet.   Teannie was a public school teacher, and later, a school administrator for most of her career.  In both capacities, Teannie built the lives of young people in a way that contributed to their longterm success in life, and she was very good at it.  Teannie took children from all backgrounds and gave them a reason to believe in themselves and their unlimited potential for success.  No other teacher or school principal I know has done so much for so many public school students with so few resources.  Every student who attended a school led by Teannie was a better person after his/her exposure to her. Teannie developed their knowledge, character, and confidence within a cocoon of love and support. She developed and molded the "whole student."   Strong Mentors, Educational Preparation, and a Purpose-Driven Life   Teannie grew up in a home with two strong mentors.  Our dad, a former high school teacher, school principal, founding president of Owen Junior College, and longtime president of Alabama State University (ASU), taught Teannie how to serve as a decisive, effective, courageous, and visionary school administrator.  Our mom, a teacher by profession, showed Teannie how to turbocharge the minds of her students and use their minds as rocket engines to jetison them to their rightful orbit in life.   From 1968 to 2007, Teannie successfully launched thousands of young students into the universe of life at a pace and orbit that dazzled superintendents in two public school systems. Teannie graduated from Alabama State College Laboratory High School in 1964. She attended and graduated from ASU in 1968. Teannie obtained a M.Ed in Special Education from ASU in 1972. She earned her Ed.S in Educational Administration from Western Michigan University in 1977. Teannie taught school in the Muskegon, Michigan and Montgomery, Alabama.  She also served as an adjunct professor in ASU's Department of Education.   From 1989 to 2007, Teannie served as a principal in the Montgomery public school system at Baldwin Magnet Junior High School, Fitzpatrick Elementary School, Carver Jr. High School, Southlawn Middle School, and the Montgomery Technical Educational Center.  With the exception of Baldwin Magnet School, Teannie was a "turnaround" specialist for underperforming inner city schools. In 2007, Teannie retired from her principalships, administrative roles, and ASU teaching position. Teannie took care of our mom during the last 4 years of her life, for which we are eternally grateful. Mom died on October 6, 2013. Lillian Bernice Watkins with Doristine Watkins Minott. Teannie was married to Muskegon-banker Hector Minott, Jr., who passed in 2002.  Teannie and Hector were parents to David, DeLeesa, and Nicky Minott, all of whom were adopted.  Nicky passed in 2000 from a car-truck accident and David died in 2024 for a prolonged illness.   In 2013, Teannie relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, the home of our youngest brother James Watkins .  She stays extremely busy serving as: (a) the coordinator of supplemental activities for residents in her senior living housing complex, (b) the unofficial photographer for the complex, and (c) the in-house motivational speaker for new and existing residents.    Teannie is Still Working to Make Life Better for Others   In recent years, Teannie has served as my “Story Producer” -- the person who finds and develops story ideas for the articles published at: www.donaldwatkins.com . She also digitizes and chronicles all the content published on my website. Teannie also assists me in researching, documenting, and preserving the Watkins family's history in America, which dates back to 1830. Additionally, she organizes Watkins family gatherings like the one depicted below in Atlanta in 2023.   The Levi and Lillian Watkins branch of the Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family  tree gathered in Atlanta in 2023. Teannie and I are perfectly aligned in our social and political views and activism.  We strive to serve as agents for positive change rather than self-centered parasites on society.  Above all, Doristine Watkins Minott is the guardian of the Watkins family legacy.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 30, 2025 Doris Lorraine Garraway (1972-2025). My niece Doris Lorraine Garraway, age 53, died from pancreatic cancer on October. 4, 2025.  Her memorial service was held at the Alice Millar Chapel on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois on November 8, 2025. Her committal service was held on November 26, 2025, at the chapel at Resurrection Cemetery near Doris' hometown of Worthington, Ohio.    Doris’ death has devastated the close-knit Watkins family.  My sister, Annie Marie Watkins Garraway Deep, is Doris’ mother.  Marie, together with Doris’ two siblings, Alex and Isla, wrote this loving tribute to her:   “Doris Garraway, a consummate intellectual, passionate humanitarian, devoted wife and mother, dedicated faculty member and scholar of the French and Italian Department at Northwestern University for more than two decades, passed away after a heroic battle with pancreatic cancer on October 4, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. She was 53. Born in Columbus, Ohio on July 22, 1972, Doris cultivated a lifetime love of learning and commitment to excellence from a young age. Her academic brilliance, which often seemed effortless, was anchored by a seriousness and sustained work ethic that consistently amazed her family, classmates, and teachers. This same intensity propelled Doris to become a gifted pianist and captain of her high school varsity tennis team. Doris earned her bachelor’s degree in French Literature and Economics as a Regent’s scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she obtained a Ph.D. in French Literature at Duke University. During this time, Doris received research awards and fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Ann Firor Scott, the US Department of Education, and the Duke Presidential Endowment. Her dissertation research utilized ethnographic approaches to investigate the emergence of Creole languages and cultures in the French Caribbean, an endeavor that would define her scholarly interests for years to come. She joined the faculty at Northwestern in 2000, where her passion for French Caribbean literature and historical writings catalyzed a legacy of research, teaching, and advising innumerable graduate and undergraduate students. Her lectures brought to life many aspects of the Caribbean experience and culture, from slavery through postcolonial eras, in a reflective and dignifying manner. Indeed, Doris gifted her colleagues and generations of students with extraordinary grace and an unwavering commitment to the highest standards of both academic and interpersonal excellence. She applied critical approaches to textual nuance, which unlocked key insights with broader implications for literature, language, art, and culture that often extend to the present era. Doris was a stellar presence in the field of French and Francophone Caribbean studies. Her signature books:  The Libertine Colony: Creolization in the Early French Caribbean  (which she authored), and  Tree of Liberty: Cultural Legacies of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World (which she co-edited), became foundational volumes for Francophone scholarship. An engaging speaker, Doris delivered numerous invited lectures globally and organized major conferences on a wide range topics related to her expertise. Her research interests also included art, theater, and ritual in Haiti, as well as perspectives from women and marginalized populations in Caribbean literature. She was recognized with numerous fellowships and awards throughout her career, including from the Kaplan Humanities Center and Princeton University's Shelby Collum Davis Center for Historical Studies, and the Herman and Beulah Pearce Miller Research Professorship at Northwestern. Furthermore, Doris held several academic leadership roles at Northwestern, including Chair of the Department of French and Italian (2019-22), Director of French Undergraduate Studies (2013-17) and Director of French Graduate Studies (2005-11). Notably, she served as Chair of the Department during the pandemic, and it was her steady hand and passionate attachment to fairness that successfully led the department through the turmoil of those years. She was committed to investigating questions of discrimination and social justice and, during the same period, became the catalyst for collective discussions on the past and future of our country. She was and will continue to be beloved and admired by colleagues and students alike. Doris found immense joy and balance outside of academia as well. In addition to her sustained dedication to the piano, she became an avid flamenco dancer. She loved the outdoors and would spend hours walking the trails alongside Lake Michigan and hiking or exploring while traveling. Doris was profoundly interested in people. The extensive personal time she would spend in conversations to understand their personal experiences, always offering encouragement and affirmation, was a hallmark of her character. This generosity of spirit was fueled by a deep-seated faith and abiding spirituality. During quiet weekends, she could be found immersed in her book collection, planning projects to add artful beauty and tranquility to her home, searching for treasures in antique stores, or browsing The New York Times."   Doris is survived by her devoted husband of fifteen years, Michael Baker, and her daughter, Isla Baker, who were the great loves of her life and her pride and joy.  She is preceded in death by her father, Michael O. Garraway, and her grandparents, Levi and Lillian Watkins.   As a family, we are still grieving.  Doris is gone now, but she will never be forgotten.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 2, 2025 An Editorial Opinion Cryptocurrency is a form of digital currency. Unlike traditional currencies that are issued by central government authorities within an established banking system that is insured and highly regulated for customer safety, cryptocurrencies exist on decentralized virtual networks and use “blockchain technology" to securely record, store, and verify data .  The value of cryptocurrency is based solely on supply and demand, speculation, and perceived future usefulness.    I have worked in the financial services industry since the early 1980s. In 1986, investment banker Nathan A. Chapman, Jr. , and I co-founded The Chapman Company in Baltimore, Maryland. During the course of my service on The Chapman Company's board of directors, we took four Chapman Company affiliates public on a listed American stock exchange: (a) DEM, Inc. (NASDAQ Symbol: DEMI); (b) Chapman Holdings (NASDAQ Symbol: CMAN); (c) Chapman Capital Management Holdings (NASDAQ Symbol: CMGT); and eChapman Holdings (NASDAQ Symbol: EMAN). Our corporate offices occupied the top floor (above the observation deck) of the World Trade Center in Baltimore . In 2000, I co-founded Alamerica Bank, a full service, commercial-focused bank in Birmingham, Alabama. By 2007, the bank was No. 4 in the nation for its asset group based upon a return on assets (ROA). Its capitalization ratios and ROA were consistently among the best in the nation for all banks. Since 2006, I have conducted large-scale investment banking transactions with Tier One investment banks all over the world. As such, I have a pretty good understanding of global financial markets and government-backed currencies around the world. I do not own cryptocurrencies and have NEVER owned them.  To me, cryptocurrencies are as worthless as the fake money in the “Monopoly” board game.    Multibillionaire Warren Buffett feels the same way about cryptocurrencies.  He predicts that cryptocurrencies will “ come to a bad ending .”  I agree.  Buffet also says cryptocurrency is " r at poison squared . ” Again, I agree. Why Cryptocurrencies are Worthless   I believe cryptocurrencies are worthless for these reasons: No intrinsic value:  Cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value because they aren't backed by tangible assets like gold, or legal rights like stocks and bonds. Its value relies purely on speculation and market sentiment. Extreme volatility:  The price of cryptocurrencies can fluctuate wildly, with double-digit percentage swings in a single day not being uncommon. This makes them a high-risk investment and unsuitable for daily transactions. Use in illicit activities:  Because of its decentralized nature, cryptocurrency has been used in illicit activities like money laundering and ransomware attacks, leading to increased scrutiny from regulators. Regulatory uncertainty:  The lack of clear and consistent regulation across different countries creates uncertainty for investors and makes the market susceptible to sudden shifts based on government actions. Ponzi-scheme characteristics:  Some critics, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Eugene Fama, characterize cryptocurrency as a speculative bubble or a Ponzi-type scheme, with value dependent on new buyers entering the market. Technological limitations:  Issues with scalability, energy consumption for mining, and user-friendliness are cited as limitations that prevent some cryptocurrencies from becoming a mainstream form of payment.    Notable Crashes of Cryptocurrencies   Some of the most notable cryptocurrencies that have failed include the Terra (LUNA) ecosystem, the FTX exchange and its FTT token, the Celsius Network, the Three Arrows Capital (3AC) hedge fund, and the fraudulent OneCoin.  Their collapses led to significant investor losses and shook confidence in the broader crypto market.   In a 2018, Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting, CEO Warren Buffet offered this observation: " [Cryptocurrency] draws in a lot of charlatans who are trying to create various sorts of exchanges or whatever it may be. It's something where people who are of less than stellar character see an opportunity to clip people who are trying to get rich because their neighbor's getting rich buying this stuff that neither one of them understands .”   The Trump Effect   President Donald Trump and his family members entered the cryptocurrency business in 2025. For a variety of reasons, many power players in the financial services industry liken the Trumps to the "charlatans" Warren Buffett warned us about. Additionally, many investors associate the Trumps with political corruption, financial scams, business crashes, and market manipulation.  Trump has bankrupted six companies and crashed another 21 business entities.  Within the last two years, Trump has been convicted of criminal business fraud and found liable for civil business fraud.   Yet, the Donald Trump and his family members were able to dive into the cryptocurrency business in 2025 without any problems from government agencies that regulate commerce in the financial services industry.  The losses for their crypto investors have been massive .   After reaching record highs following their launches in January 2025, the Donald Trump ($TRUMP) and Melania Trump ($MELANIA) meme coins crashed dramatically.  Both coins have lost most of their value, with $MELANIA suffering an especially severe crash.    Following a peak of around $75 on January 19, 2025, the $TRUMP coin's value plummeted. Though it saw a brief bump in April, its value has continued to decline.  As of late November 2025, the value was around $6.20, a 35% drop in just a few days.   The $MELANIA coin saw a steep decline following its launch and has lost nearly all of its value. As of late November 2025, its value is under $0.20, a precipitous drop from its peak of over $8 in January.   Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial and Eric Trump’s Bitcoin mining company Hut 8, a/k/a American Bitcoin Corp., are crashing, as well.   Epilogue   Like the Dot-com bubble of the 1990s and the Wall Street derivatives that crashed global markets in 2008, I predict the cryptocurrency bubble will come to an end soon.     Cryptocurrencies have always worthless for legitimate business transactions.  Criminals loved them because they were hard to trace and easy to use for Ponzi schemes and money laundering transactions.  Unlike cash in banks, cryptocurrency deposits on crypto exchanges are not insured by the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation.  When they lose value, cryptocurrencies usually go down to zero in value.   Today, financial scammers and bad actors have infested the cryptocurrency industry like termites infest a house.  Last month, Donald Trump pardoned convicted money launderer and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao , the richest cryptocurrency industry player in the world. Trump also commuted to 7-year prison sentence of former private equity CEO David Gentile to 14 days in prison. These pardons and others like it add a layer of sleaze to the crypto industry.   Cryptocurrency is “rat poison” in the world of accredited financial institutions.  Nothing will ever replace hard cash that is backed by tangible assets and well-settled legal rights in a highly regulated and centralized banking system.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 29, 2025 Lillian and Levi Watkins, with their six children, on Christmas Day 1983. My Mom and Dad divided their areas of responsibilities. Dad ran schools, colleges, and universities. Mom, who was a teacher by education and profession, ran our household. Dad built and ran public institutions. Mom built the brainpower of their six children. Mom’s August 16, 1939 teacher’s certificate from the state of Tennessee qualified her to teach “ Education, French, Home Economics, Music, Science, including Biology, Chemistry, General Science, Physics, Social Science, including only Civics, History, and Sociology . " We were home schooled in these subjects long before we ever showed up in a public school classroom. Mom's home schooling supplemented our public school education and continued until we graduated from high school. Mom always had a book in her hands and made sure we had one in ours, too. We read all of the time. I always thought our intelligence came from both parents, each of whom was brilliant. I was wrong. Mom’s mind didn’t just raise us, it built us. Science Confirms that Intelligence Came from Our Mother's Genes In recent decades, various studies have identified a significant relationship between maternal genes and the development of higher brain function . According to a compelling 1984 scientific study by the University of Cambridge , a child’s intelligence is passed down almost entirely through his/her mother’s genes. Women have two X chromosomes , while men only have one, which increases the likelihood of children inheriting intelligence-related genes from the mother. This study was one of the first to highlight this trend, and since then, other studies have supported the hypothesis. The scientific basis lies in the existence of “imprinted genes.” In the brain, maternal genes are more likely to activate where it matters most -- logic, memory, and learning. So behind every sharp answer, curious question, and brilliant idea, there is a mother’s mental legacy echoing through it. This doesn’t downplay fathers. It simply highlights a biological truth, that much of what makes a mind shine comes from the woman who first held it close. She didn’t just nurture our brains. She built its blueprint. Intelligence, it turns out, isn’t just taught. It’s inherited with love, wisdom, and quiet brilliance. In our family's case, intelligence was birthed, nurtured, taught, loved, and protected by one of the most brilliant minds and best mothers in the annals of recorded history -- Lillian Bernice Varnado Watkins.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on May 9, 2021 Sally Emma Darden Watkins at left with grandchildren Donald and Tina, At right, Sally Watkins at age 41. I introduced Sallie Emma Darden, my paternal grandmother, to the world in a July 31, 2019 article titled, " Adam and Sallie Watkins: A Legacy of Love ". Sallie Emma Darden was born on March 12, 1894 in Kentucky. She was the daughter of George Harry Darden, a former slave of African descent, and Sallie Cooper, a full-blooded Native American. I have written extensively about the experiences of my African American ancestors in America in articles such as " Olivia and William Carmichael: A Legacy of Extraordinary Success " and " The Bridge-Builders ". Now, it is time to tell the true story of America's inhumane treatment and calumny of my Native American ancestors. The Five Civilized Tribes Sallie Cooper and her parents were members of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokees were one of what white colonists called the "Five Civilized Tribes" -- Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, Creeks, and Seminoles -- that were located in the Southeastern part of the United States from the East Coast to the Mississippi River. The Cooper family was located in a rural community known as Wallonia in what is now Trigg County, Kentucky. "The Five Civilized Tribes" tried to peacefully coexist with white European settlers from 1622 through the 1800s. White colonists and our national government had no interest in a peaceful coexistence arrangement. Even though the Indian-white wars dominated our history as a nation from 1622 to 1815 and were of considerable importance until 1890, they have mostly disappeared from our national memory. The grave fate of the "Five Civilized Tribes" foreshadowed the death and destruction Native American tribes west of the Mississippi River would ultimately experience at the hands of white men. The "Five Civilized Tribes" welcomed whites of interracial goodwill and runaway slaves who sought refuge inside their Tribal Territories. They were peace-loving peoples. Between 1787 and 1855, U.S. territorial expansion was influenced, in large part, by slavers' influence. Slaveholders coveted Indian and Spanish land and wanted to drive Native American tribes farther away from the slave holding states to prevent slave escapes. As a result, America took Florida from Spain in the War of 1812 because slaveholders demanded that the government do so. President Andrew Jackson attacked a Seminole fort in Florida in 1816 because it harbored hundreds of runaway slaves, thus initiating the First Seminole War. The Seminoles' refusal to surrender their African American members led to the First Seminole War (1816-18) and Second Seminole War (1835-42). The Second Seminole War was the longest and costliest war the United States ever fought against Indians. From the Beginning, Indians Sought Peaceful Coexistence Native Americans thought interracial marriages were a common way for two societies to deal with each other, and Indians in the United States repeatedly suggested such a policy to our national government. Spanish men married Native women in California and New Mexico and converted them to Spanish ways. French fur traders married Native women in Canada and Illinois and converted to Native ways. In New England and Virginia, English colonists quickly moved to ban interracial marriages. Pocahontas was the first and last Native to be accepted into British-American society, and Pocahontas was accepted only because she married the well-known and powerful Englishman named Capt. John Smith. Interestingly, in 1624, Capt. Smith proposed using Christopher Columbus' get-tough policy with Caribbean natives as a model for handling Native Americans in Virginia. Smith called these Indians "treacherous and rebellious infidels" and urged colonists to force these Native Americans "to do all manner of drudgery work and slavery for them." During this period, Native Americans sought to acculturate into "triracial isolates," which were nonracial enclaves where Native Americans, escaped African slaves, and whites could peacefully coexist. Whites colonists and slave owners were not interested in this kind of acculturation. White settlers and their commercial companies wanted the lands that Native Americans occupied and the riches that came from these lands. Furthermore, whites had the advantage of rigged territorial courts of law to settle land disputes with Indians and superior weaponry -- guns and bullets versus bows and arrows. The viciousness of white attitudes towards Native Americans is reflected in the fact that the Massachusetts legislature in 1789 passed a law prohibiting teaching Native Americans how to read and write "under penalty of death." The mutual acculturation between Native and African Americans was fairly natural. It arose from their shared experience in slavery, as well as escapes by blacks to Native communities where they were protected from recapture and death. Like blacks, Native Americans were enslaved by white colonists and settlers, as well. Despite their efforts to peacefully coexist with whites, "The Five Civilized Tribes" were forcefully dispossessed of their lands and exiled to Oklahoma in the 1830s along the "Trail of Tears." The ensuing death toll for Native Americans from this campaign of illegal land dispossessions and forced relocation to reservations in Oklahoma and elsewhere in the western territories was catastrophic. Native Americans Were Subjected to the Worse Forms of White Supremacy Benjamin Franklin called Native Americans "ignorant savages." The Declaration of Independence labeled them as "merciless Indian Savages." After the Revolutionary War to free America as an English colony and after the Ohio War in 1790, President George Washington regarded Native Americans as "animals of prey" who should be slaughtered and their cultures destroyed. In 1845, William Gilmore Simms wrote, "Our binding prejudices .... have been fostered as necessary to justify the reckless and unsparing hand with which we have smitten [Native Americans] in their habitations and expelled them from their country." In 1871, Francis A. Walker, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, considered Native Americans so far beneath morality that he said, "When dealing with savage men, as with savage beasts, no question of national honor can arise." Every treaty America's national government, territorial governments, and private companies made with Indian Nations was broken by the white man. The white men's lack of trustworthiness and honest dealings eventually gave rise to the term "Indian-Giver." By any objective definition, America's national government fully and officially embraced the concept of "white supremacy" in its dealing with Native Americans from the 1600s up to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During this period of time, an estimated 60 million Native Americans were exterminated by white European settlers, U.S. Army soldiers, and white vigilantes on the Western Frontier. Slaughtering Nez Perce Indians In 1805, the Nez Perce Indians, who lived and hunted on an estimated two million acres of land in the territory known today as Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, saved the Lewis and Clark expedition when they came down off the Rockies on their westward journey. The entire exploring party was famished and sick with dysentery. They could not defend themselves, if attacked. The Nez Perce welcomed the white explorers, fed them, and nursed them back to good health so Lewis and Clark could continue on with their journey. By 1855, the white men's greed for land and gold broke the relationship between the Nez Perce and white settlers in the Western territories where the Tribe lived and hunted. In 1873, President Ulysses Grant issued an executive order protecting the Nez Perce’s lands in the Wallowa Valley from settlement by white men. Two years later, the tribe was betrayed when Grant issued a new order re-opening the Valley to white settlement. The new order took away the Wallowa Valley and three-fourths of the remainder of the Nez Perce’s tribal lands. This order was ruthlessly enforced by the U.S. Army against Nez Perce men, women, and children on the night of August 9, 1877 as many of them were slaughtered while they slept in their tepees. The sheer scale and efficiency by which U.S. Army troops killed the Nez Perce and other western Native American tribes were admired by Adolf Hitler during his rise to power in Nazi Germany. Hitler used the U.S. "ethnic cleansing" campaign of Native Americans as a model to conduct his genocide of Jews, Gypsies, Gays, and Black Germans during World War II. Epilogue From coast to coast, white greed and savagery were systematically perpetrated upon Native American Tribes. In addition to the unrelenting betrayal and genocide experienced by the "Five Civilized Tribes," the Anishinaabeg, Apache, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Chilliwack, Chinock, Coast Salish, Cochiti, Comanche, Eskimo/Aleuts, Hopi, Iroquois, Kiowa, Kwakiutl, Lenni Lenape, Luiseno, Navajo, Nez Perce, Ojibwa, Omaha, Onondaga, Osage, Paiute, Papago, Passamaquoddy, Pawnee, Pequot, Pima, Potawomi, Seneca, Shawnee, Sioux (e.g., Dakota, Santee Sioux, Lakota, Teton Sioux, and Oglala), Snehyttens, Suquamish, Tewa, Tlingit, Wabanaki, Winnebago, Yuma, Zuni, and a host of other Indian Nations experienced the same violent and thoroughly disgusting treatment from our national government and white settlers. Sallie Cooper's Native American ancestors lost everything they had when they were forced onto the Trail of Tears. Sallie Cooper's parents found refuge in a "triracial isolate" in the rural community of Wallonia, Kentucky where she eventually met and married George Harry Darden. Sallie Emma Darden was the product of this African American-Indian marriage, which was accepted within both cultures. For four centuries, white historians, government scribes, and news reporters have recorded America's mistreatment of Native Americans in the light most favorable to whites. This body of spin-masters has lied over and over again about the nature and scope of Indian-white relationships in America. In truth, no ethnic group in the history of the world has suffered more pain, anguish, loss of land and natural resources, bodily injuries from Indian-white wars and conflicts, and genocide at the hands of white Anglo-Saxons than Native Americans. Native Americans have seen, experienced, and endured the worse aspects of white behavior in this country. Yet, they remain very proud peoples, and they still form the heart and soul of this nation. After all, Native Americans were the first Americans. The rest of us are descendants of European migrants who came here willingly or African slaves who came to America involuntarily in the hell holes of slave ships. I am very proud of my African American and Native American heritages. I embrace the positive values of both cultures. [Acknowledgement: I wish to credit the excellent historical research I used in this article to the following highly acclaimed books on this subject: "Thunder in the Mountains: Chief Joseph, Oliver Otis Howard, and the Nez Perce War," by Daniel J. Sharfstein, W.W. Norton & Company, New York/London, 2017; "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West," by Dee Brown, Henry Holt & Company, New York, 1970; "Lies My Teacher Told Me," by James Loewen, Simon & Schuster, 1995, 2007; and, "Native American Wisdom," by Alan Jacobs, Watkins Media Limited, 2018.] All articles are shared on Facebook and Twitter. 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By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on May 26, 2022 Ray (left) and Emma Ray (right) I introduced Sallie Emma Darden Watkins to the world in a July 31, 2019 article titled, "Adam and Sallie Watkins: A legacy of Love." She was my father's mother. Sallie Watkins, nee Sallie Emma Darden, was born on March 12, 1894 in Wallonia, Kentucky. She was the daughter of George Harry Darden, a former slave of African descent, and Sally Brown Cooper, a full-blooded Native-American. I have written extensively about the experiences of my ancestors in America in articles titled, "Olivia and William Carmichael: A Legacy of Extraordinary Success," "The Bridge Builders," and "Sallie Emma Darden and My Indian Ancestors." Sallie Watkins' mother, Sallie Brown Cooper Darden, and her lineal ancestors were members of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokees were one of what white colonists called the "Five Civilized Tribes" -- Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, Creeks, and Seminoles -- that were located in the Southern part of the United States from the East Coast to the Mississippi River. The Cherokees were known for their entrepreneurial skills and thriving business activities. The Cherokee Nation had its own constitution, governing council, and newspaper, which was published in English and a phonetic Cherokee script devised by Sequoyah, a Cherokee scholar. Sequoyah's alphabet symbols enabled thousands of Cherokees to become literate in their own language. Sallie Cooper Darden's mother was known to us as "Ray." She was a prominent member of the established Cherokee business community in Tennessee and Kentucky. She is featured sitting in the photo (circa 1820) accompanying this article. Sallie Cooper Darden's maternal aunt, Emma Ray, also owned thriving businesses. She is featured standing in the photo accompanying this article. Both of these women are part of my Watkins bloodline. They rightfully took pride in their successes in business, as do we. From the Beginning, Indians Sought Peaceful Coexistence From 1622 to 1815, Native-American members of the "Five Civilized Tribes" tried to peacefully coexist with white settlers. The white colonists and their national government had no interest in a peaceful coexistence arrangement. They wanted the valuable lands that were occupied for centuries by these Tribes. What is more, Southern slavers hated the "Five Civilized Tribes" because they welcomed, harbored, and protected runaway slaves. The Seminoles' refusal to surrender their African-American members led to the First Seminole War (1816-18) and Second Seminole War (1835-42). The Second Seminole War was the longest and costliest war in the United States that was fought against Indians. Despite their efforts to peacefully coexist with whites, more than 60,000 members of the "Five Civilized Tribes" were forcefully dispossessed of their Tribal lands and exiled to Oklahoma after Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Most of the Tribal members lost everything they had. More than 2,000 of them died along the "Trail of Tears" from their Tribal lands to Oklahoma. Sallie Cooper Darden's parents, who were my great, great grandparents, sought and found refuge in a "triracial isolate" in the rural community of Wallonia, Kentucky (a rural community in Trigg County). In Wallonia, Native Americans, former African slaves, and whites of interracial goodwill peacefully coexisted for over a century. Sallie Emma Darden, my father's mother, eventually met and married John Adam Watkins in Springfield, Tennessee in 1910. John Adam Watkins was born on February 18, 1890 in Wallonia to Ellen Tandy Dunkerson, an African-American farm and domestic worker, and John Adam George Watkins, a local white farm worker. My father, Dr. Levi Watkins, Sr., was the oldest of the Sallie Emma Darden's and John Adam Watkins' eight children. I am the fifth of six children born to Levi Watkins, Sr., and his wife, Lillian Bernice Varnado. Lillian Bernice Varnado Watkins' maternal grandmother was Olivia Williamson, a mulatto girl whose mother was an African slave and father was an Irish slaver/landowner near Canton, Mississippi. Lillian Watkins' maternal grandfather was William Carmichael, the son of Scottish immigrants who came to America in the early 1830s. Lillian Watkins' father was Rev. Willie Varnado, the son of a Choctaw mother and her African-American husband. I am the oldest surviving son of Levi and Lillian Watkins and the patriarch of the Watkins family. Our Past Has Prepared Us for Our Future The Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family is a blend of Native-Americans, African-Americans, Scottish and Irish immigrants, Eastern Caribbean (Dominica) immigrants, and their respective cultures. Our history is well-documented back to the early 1800s by the Carmichael family for my mother's ancestry and by Joseph T. Watkins (the youngest child of John Adam Watkins and Sallie Emma Watkins) for my father's ancestry. Today, the Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family is considered a legacy family in America with a network of interracial goodwill and humanitarian outreach activities that spans the globe. This family has established endowed college scholarships at educational institutions across America. Buildings around the country bear the names of our family members. Our bloodline has broken the color barrier in America and advanced the human race in technology, medicine, music, literature, multi-media content, business, and education for more than 200 years. For eight generations, the Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family has embodied the best of American values. Much of what this family accomplished occurred in the face of vicious white hatred and the sweltering heat of Jim Crow racial oppression. We have always pursued educational excellence, even when it was a crime for black slaves in Old Confederate states to learn reading and writing. We have also published newspapers of interest to the African-American community since 1935. We have always rendered unselfish service to our home communities, with no expectation of recognition or a reward. We have always loved humanity, unconditionally. We have always fought all forms of racial bigotry, even when we had to stand alone to do so. Our family members registered to vote in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky long before the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. They paid the state poll taxes and took the literacy tests that were designed to prevent black voters from exercising their Fifteenth Amendment right to vote. When they did so, it was usually under the threat of bodily harm or death. We fought for America in World War II against Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, only to face white supremacy deeply embedded in the fabric of American society when we returned home. We desegregated all-white schools, colleges, universities, government agencies, and licensed professions in America, with only God there to protect us. Our class action lawsuits, as plaintiffs and lawyers, in Alabama, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. have made it possible for hundreds of thousands of African-Americans to enjoy equal educational opportunities and fair employment opportunities. Throughout it all, we never bowed down to anyone, but God. Based upon the positive international footprint that has been established by seventh and eight generation Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family members, our family's future appears to be very bright for generations to come. Every day, I celebrate my membership in the Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on July 26, 2024 Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mark Kennedy On July 17, 2024, Justice Mark Kennedy, a former Montgomery, Alabama District Court Judge, a former Circuit Court Judge, and former two-term Alabama Supreme Court Justice, died.  I knew Justice Kennedy in each one of those judicial capacities.  I tried cases before him in each one of his courtrooms. He was a remarkable man, a great American, and one of the best judges in Alabama history.   Justice Kennedy was 72 years old when he died peacefully in his Montgomery home.  You can read his obituary here.   Justice Kennedy was one of the handful of state court judges in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s who treated me with respect in his courtroom at a time when a slew of other state and federal judges routinely called me the “ Nigger lawyer from Montgomery ” in open court.  Justice Kennedy was known throughout the state for treating all litigants in a fair manner.  Unlike many of his judicial colleagues then and now, Justice Kennedy NEVER “fixed” cases for any litigant, for any reason.   Justice Kennedy was young, super-smart, personable, and confident in his role as a fair-minded judge.    A Record-Setting Performance   On November 27, 1988, Billy Carter, Karen Neal Knight, and I set two litigation records in Judge Mark Kennedy’s courtroom.   First, we brought a major personal injury case to trial in 11 months from the date of the accident to the date of a favorable jury verdict.  Second, we set a record in Alabama for the size of the jury verdict -- $4.1 million. Members of the local White bar association privately lobbied Judge Kennedy to derail our case, but he refused to do so.  These White lawyers did not want a team of Black lawyers in a small three-person law firm to make this kind of history in Alabama’s legal community.  After all, Billy, Karen, and I were merely “ Nigger " lawyers who were not capable of breaking old jury verdict records and setting new ones.  Judge Kennedy would have no part in this racist agenda and he told them so. They were pissed off at Judge Kennedy, but he did not care.   After we won $4 million for our seriously injured client and $100,000 in loss of consortium money for his new wife, Judge Kennedy allowed a Black-owned investment bank in Baltimore, Maryland to manage the client’s judgment proceeds.  The White bar members strenuously objected to this plan, as they wanted local White banks to manage this money.  The investment firm approved by Kennedy exceeded all investment projections during our client's lifetime. A Devoted Family Man and Distinguished Jurist   Justice Mark Kennedy is survived by his devoted wife of fifty years, Peggy Wallace Kennedy (the daughter of former Alabama governors Geroge and Lurleen Wallace); his two sons, Leigh Chancellor Kennedy and his wife Stephanie Rion Kennedy, and Morgan Burns Kennedy and his wife Hannah Torbert Kennedy; his granddaughter, Maggie Rose Kennedy, and his grandson, Jack Brigham Kennedy, as well as Morgan Frances Kennedy, who is expected to join the family in August 2024.  He is also survived by his sister, Karen Johnson, and her husband, Butch Johnson.  He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Charles Mayo Kennedy, and his wife, Margie Kennedy.   Justice Kennedy graduated from Greenville High School in 1970, earned his undergraduate degree from Auburn University in 1973, and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, from Cumberland School of Law in 1977.   Justice Kennedy served as a law clerk and staff attorney for Judge John P. DeCarlo of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.  In 1978, he was appointed judge of the District Court of Montgomery County and was elected to that position in 1980. While there, he was specially assigned as a full-time Family Court and Juvenile Court Judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit. In 1983, he was appointed as a circuit judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit and was elected to that position in 1984. In 1988, Justice Kennedy was elected as an Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and was re-elected in 1994.   As I look at the bevvy of political hacks sitting on the state and federal bench in Alabama today who stand for absolutely nothing, I will sorely miss Justice Mark Kennedy, his integrity, his sense of fairness on the judicial bench, his abundance of intellectual acumen, and his exceptional courage.  I am so thankful that God allowed our lives to intersect.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published January 13, 2022; Republished on May 7, 2024 Mathis W. Piel, former Chief Justice of the Montgomery, Alabama municipal court. An Editorial Opinion In 1974, I was a young associate in the civil rights law firm of Gray, Seay, and Langford . At the time, there were less than a dozen black lawyers working in Alabama. All of us litigated cases. The frontlines in the raging battle for equal justice for African-Americans in Alabama were located in local, state, and federal courtrooms. Young black lawyers like me did not have the luxury of apprenticing for years under the firm's senior trial lawyers -- Fred D. Gray, Solomon S. Seay, Jr., and Charles D. Langford . They were bogged downed handling massive class action cases. Fred was working feverishly to secure justice for 623 black plaintiffs in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Solomon was swamped with major school desegregation cases throughout Alabama. Charles was handling a lot of the firm's non-civil rights cases. I was sent straight to the frontlines to represent individual clients like Mr. Clarence Norris , the last surviving " Scottsboro Boy ," Elizabeth Williams , a black woman who was sentenced to 218 years in prison for aiding her boyfriend in stealing three chickens, and Bernard Whitehurst , an unarmed and innocent black man who was fatally shot in the back by a racist white Montgomery police officer after he was mistakenly identified as a robbery suspect. I was taught to stand tall for my clients and unload all of my evidence in every case. I was also taught that my real adversaries in my cases would be the trial judges since all of them were white and were almost always hostile toward our clients and us. One of the worst judges in Alabama at the time was Matthis W. Piel, the chief judge of the Montgomery, Alabama municipal court. Judge Piel was a flaming racist . He presided over the city's misdemeanor court docket. The prosecutors in his court were white. Nearly all of the officers on the city police force in the early 1970s were white. Judge Piel's courtroom was a living hell for black lawyers and their clients. It was also a classic " debtor's court " -- one where black men and women were railroaded, imprisoned, fined, and held in jail until their fines were paid. Wealthy and upper middle-class white offenders could have their cases "fixed" by making a call to the mayor's office or Judge Piel's chambers. Middle-class and extremely poor white offenders would typically be scolded by Piel, but they would not be jailed. During my first trial in Judge Piel's court, I brought law books with U.S. Supreme Court cases to support my legal arguments. When Piel saw the Supreme Court law books, he promptly told me, "that shit does not apply in my court." Piel never looked me in the eyes, or called me "Mr. Watkins," or "Counselor," or "Sir," or any name or title that would affirm my humanity. He just held his head down and barked out his remarks to me. It was in Judge Piel's courtroom that I had my first encounter with an arrogant, out-of-control, racist Montgomery police officer. His name was Officer Ronald A. Rambo. He was the chief witness in the case against my client. I crucified him on cross-examination. Once Rambo stepped down from the witness stand, he came up to me and put his finger in my face. Rambo said in a loud voice, "you must be new; you don't know who you are fucking with." I look over at Judge Piel, who did not say a word. Piel did not bang his gavel to restore order in his court, and he did not reprimand Officer Rambo. When I realized that I was on my own, I responded to Rambo in a loud voice by telling him to " kiss my ass. " The black folks in the packed courtroom exploded into loud cheers and applause. Rambo backed off and said, " nigger, we're going to teach you a lesson ." Piel said nothing. She Was Black, Elderly, Alone, Afraid, Crying, Praying, and Needed My Help One day, I was in Judge Piel's courtroom waiting for my client's case to be called. While sitting on the front row studying my case file and trial outline, I heard Judge Piel and the prosecutor loudly berating an elderly black woman in a maid's uniform. The woman did not have a lawyer representing her. She was alone, afraid, and unprotected in a very hostile courtroom. Piel and the prosecutor were bombarding this woman with questions that she clearly did not understand. In frustration, the woman bowed her head and started crying and praying. I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped from my seat and rushed to this woman's side. I forcefully interrupted the beat-down of this elderly woman and announced to Judge Piel that I was her lawyer. I apologized for not hearing her name called on the docket. In truth, I didn't even know the woman's name and we did not have time to get acquainted. I announced that we were ready for trial and asked the city to call its first witness. I didn't know anything about this woman's case. I put my arms around the woman and told her everything would be okay. The City called one police officer and two civilian witnesses. Out of rage and anger, I obliterated all three witnesses with a blistering, in-your-face, cross-examination of them. The witnesses were intimidated by my aggressive style of cross-examination and their testimony quickly fell apart, leaving Judge Piel with no option but to acquit this woman. She was shocked that we had won her case, but she was very happy. Blacks in the courtroom swarmed the woman and me to celebrate this rare victory and to give us accolades. I walked the woman out of Judge Piel's courtroom. Now, her tears of fear and despair had turned into tears of joy. She was a single mom with five children. She had no car, no money, and no hope of justice. This is why she bowed her head and prayed as Judge Piel and the prosecutor berated her with sarcastic words and questions. She thanked me over and over again, saying God had answered her prayers. The woman told me she had no way to pay me. I told her that a wise janitor at the University of Alabama's law school -- Mr. Ramus Rhodes -- had paid the full price for me to stand up for her in Judge Piel's courtroom and that she owed me nothing. We hugged. I dried the woman's tears with my handkerchief. After we said goodbye to each other, I rushed back into Judge Piel's courtroom for my next battle in the seemingly endless war against white racism. Reversal of Fortunes On October 9, 1979, I was elected to the Montgomery city council. I was the youngest council member in the history of the city. I was one of four black council members on the nine-member Montgomery city council. I was also the only lawyer on the council. Shortly after taking office, Judge Piel's term of office was nearing an end and he desperately wanted reappointment to another six-year term. Judge Piel called for an appointment to see me. I told him I would come see him at his chambers in the municipal court, which I did. When I entered Judge Piel's chambers, he was lying on a couch. Piel's body was too ravaged with cancer for him to sit up during our meeting. He asked for my vote for his reappointment. He desperately needed reappointment to his judgeship to maintain his municipal employee health insurance coverage during this difficult period in his life. The council was split 4 to 4 between Judge Piel and another candidate who was backed by Council President Willie Peake for this judgeship. Peake was an independent, fair-minded white businessman who always voted based upon the best interests of his district constituents and the city as a whole. For over an hour, I listened to Judge Piel pitch his case for reappointment. The entire time Judge Piel was talking, all I could see in my mind's eye were the images of the black defendants Piel railroaded in his courtroom. I saw their tears. I felt their pain. I heard their wailing spirits. I didn't say a word while Piel talked. When Judge Piel finished, he was crying and begging for my vote. I told him I would talk to my neighborhood leaders and district residents to see how they wanted me to vote on his reappointment. A few days later, the all-white local Bar association, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and several white business groups lobbied me to support Piel's reappointment. These groups had zero interest in how blacks were treated in Piel's courtroom. On the day of the council meeting, the votes were still split 4 to 4, with Peake and three blacks supporting Peake's candidate. The other four whites on the council backed Judge Piel. I asked to speak last before we took the vote. Judge Piel's family and supporters packed the left side of the small council chambers. Piel was present in a wheelchair. His son, Richard, who was a local attorney, was in the audience, as well. My black neighborhood leaders, political constituents, and other black citizens packed the right side of the council chambers. When it was time for me to speak, I told the story of the woman whose case is mentioned in this article. I also told the audience what Judge Piel said to me about U.S. Supreme Court cases not applying in his courtroom. Finally, I mentioned Judge Piel's failure to reign-in Officer Rambo after Rambo verbally assaulted me in Piel's presence. At the end of my speech, I looked at the blacks in the audience and told them, "God knows that you have suffered gross injustice in our municipal courts for over a hundred years; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ms. Rosa Parks, and untold thousands of blacks have been railroaded in this city's court system; God has heard your silent prayers for equal justice in our courts; and He is answering them tonight." With that, I cast the last and deciding vote to get rid of one of the most vicious racists I had encountered in my legal career. Piel's family members wailed loudly as the judge was wheeled out of the council chambers. Once Judge Piel and his supporters were gone, I thanked the blacks who remained in the council chambers for persevering in the vineyards of racial hatred and never giving up on their quest for equal justice. I reminded them that the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the 1950s, the Birmingham church bombing in 1963 that killed four little girls in Sunday School, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Selma-to-Montgomery march on "Bloody Sunday," and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 made this moment possible. The hands that picked cotton, cleaned gutters and sewers, mopped floors and cleaned toilets as maids and janitors, loaded garbage trucks, cut grass, dug ditches, labored in the 120 degree heat on roofing jobs, busted rocks into gravel, cleaned used bricks with meat-cleavers, walked miles to and from work in menial jobs, and languished in Montgomery's notorious debtor's courts, would pick the city of Montgomery's municipal court judges from this day, forward. Epilogue Judge Matthis W. Piel died on January 12, 1980, but his racist spirit lives on in many of today's local, state and federal judges in Alabama. As long as these judicial bigots live and work among us, my work as a "freedom fighter" must go on. " Freedom fighting " is a noble profession. I have always been willing to pay whatever price is necessary to protect the dignity of the " least of these " and to elevate their humanity in every venue. My longstanding commitment to equal justice made me an extremely controversial figure in Alabama's ultra-conservative, anti-woke, white community. In many white circles, I am hated on sight. My departure from the council in 1983 was hailed by then-Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar as " one of the greatest blessings since the Yankee troops went home in 1870 .” I took Folmar's remark as a compliment that I had done my job as a civil rights attorney and councilman very well.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on February 24, 2024; Updated at 7:24 P.M. EST IMAGE: Fulton County, Georgia Superior Court Judge Scott F. McAfee knows that Fani T. Willis and Nathan J. Wade are in big trouble. The look on Judge McAfee's face says it all. An Editorial Opinion The RICO and election fraud criminal case of Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants has morphed into a case about sex, lies, and cellphone data.   Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani T. Willis and Special Prosecutor Nathan J. Wade gave testimony during a hearing in the case a week ago that admitted their illicit love affair, but claimed the affair did not begin until 2022 (after she appointed him to prosecute Trump).   On Friday, Trump’s lawyer dropped a bombshell document in the case when he filed supplemental information derived from an analysis of Special Prosecutor Nathan J. Wade’s cellphone data. The analysis is presented in a sworn affidavit prepared and signed by Charles Mittelstadt , the defense’s cellphone data analysis expert.    Mittelstadt’s affidavit established that:  1. Wade and Willis made more than 2,000 voice calls to each other and exchanged just under 12,000 interactions over an 11-month period in 2021. Willis hired Wade as Special Prosecutor on November 1, 2021. 2. Wade made three dozen visits to the Hapeville neighborhood of Atlanta where Willis lived in 2021 before he was hired on November 1, 2021. 3. Wade spent the early morning hours with Willis on September 11-12, 2021, and November 29-30, 2021.  These dates are before and after Wade was hired on November 1, 2021.   Cellphone tracking data is a highly sophisticated forensic tool.  The analysis derived from this data is routinely used by law enforcement officials in criminal cases to pinpoint the location of drug-traffickers, terrorists, gang members, mafia figures, and fugitives from justice.  This tracking data is also used by 911 operators worldwide to pinpoint the exact location of persons in need of emergency assistance who do not know where they are.   Mittelstadt’s cellphone data analysis appears to contradict the sworn testimony of Willis and Wade on (a) when their illicit affair started and (b) when Wade began to spend the night with Willis.    Mittelstadt’s data analysis also appears to support the sworn testimony of Robin Yeartie, an ex-employee of the DA’s office and Willis’ onetime friend.  Yeartie testified the Willis Wade romantic relationship began in 2019 and continued each year thereafter.    Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a hearing for March 1, 2024, to decide whether to admit Mittelstadt’s affidavit and Wade's cellphone records into evidence. Mittelstadt is expected to be a witness at the hearing.  Judge McAfee may also call Willis and Wade back to the witness stand. Willis Objects to Using Cellphone Data as Evidence Late Friday, Fani Willis filed a Response to the cellphone data and analysis. Willis asked Judge McAfree to exclude this forensic evidence, arguing that the records do not prove the content of communications between Willis and Wade, nor do they prove that either person was at a particular address. Willis said that "the phone records simply do not prove anything relevant." "The records do nothing more than demonstrate that Special Prosecutor Wade’s telephone was located somewhere within a densely populated multiple-mile radius where various residences, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and other businesses are located," the Response said. Somebody is Lying Under Oath   If Judge McAfee determines that any aspect of Willis’ and Wade’s February 15, 2024, testimony was NOT credible, he is free to disregard all of their testimony, including their sworn testimony of undocumented cash reimbursements for their expensive romantic getaways to exotic ports of call.   Based upon their sworn testimony, which now appears to be contradicted by forensic evidence, Fani Willis and Nathan Wade are in big trouble.  Somebody is lying under oath in this case about the material facts relating to Willis’ and Wade’s illicit love affair.  It’s either Robin Yeartie or Willis and Wade.   Willis and Wade should NEVER have put themselves in this terrible position.    No matter how Judge McAfee rules on defense motions to disqualify Willis and Wade, the sex, lies, and cellphone data on the disqualification issue have damaged Willis' criminal case against Trump.   What is more, there will likely be future law enforcement investigations into: Whether Willis misspent taxpayer dollars on Wade? Whether Willis received unreimbursed and unreported gifts from Wade? Whether Willis and Wade committed perjury on the witness stand? Whether Willis and Wade have obstructed justice?   Today, Fani T. Willis' RICO and election fraud criminal case against Donald Trump and his co-defendants is hot mess, and she has only herself to blame for this mess.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on September 28, 2025 Capt. James Paul (U.S. Air Force, Retired). A distinguished American died today.  His name is James Paul.  I knew him as Capt. James Paul, United States Air Force. I always called him Capt. Paul.   I first met Capt. Paul, a Tuskegee University graduate and commissioned Air Force officer, when my former wife DeAndra and I moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in August 1970 to start my participation in the NAACP's campaign to desegregate the University of Alabama’s law school.  Capt. Paul, his wife Al’Verita, and daughter Karen arrived on campus at the same time.  So did Moses and Lena Prewitt, together with their son Kenneth.  Dr. Lena Prewitt was the first African American female professor hired by the University. Dr. Lena Prewitt, the University of Alabama's first black female professor. All three couples lived in the Rose Towers residential apartments on campus.    Capt. Paul was desegregating his graduate school classes.  I was desegregating my law school classes, along with Miles College graduate George Jones.  Lena was desegregating the ranks of university professors.   Our desegregation missions, coupled with the daily grind of "in-your-face" white racism on campus, brought us closer together.  We formed an extremely tight friendship bond with each other that lasted a lifetime.   I looked up to Capt. Paul because he was three years older than me, he had a commanding presence about himself, he was a Tuskegee University graduate, he was confident in his mission, he had a backbone of steel, and he was supersmart.  Capt. Paul was from Brewton, Alabama.  He attended the Southern Normal School , the oldest historically black private boarding school in America.  In 1997, the school became known as the Southern Normal Academy of Alabama State University. Even though the Academy closed in 2015, Alabama State still owns the valuable 378-acre, timber-rich, Southern Normal School campus.   Capt. James Paul and Moses Prewitt, who worked as Director of Alumni Affairs at Stillman College, were my two best friends during my three years in law school.  Those years, from 1970 to 1973, were the longest and loneliest three years of my life.     Moses, Capt. Paul, and I leaned on each other daily as a source of strength to get through the thick, nasty, and undiluted white racism on campus.  We socialized on Stillman’s campus across town because it was a safe environment for the small group of black UA graduate and law school students.   Throughout our ordeal, Capt. James Paul was a consummate leader, a great friend, an unselfish protector, and a first-class military officer.  I credit Capt. Paul's Air Force officer's training for helping us to hold it all together under the most difficult of circumstances.  Because of Capt. Paul, all of us made it to the other side of midnight with our sanity intact, our heads held high, and our credentials in order.   Moses Prewitt died on February 15, 2010, at 75.  Moses Prewitt, Director of Alumni Affairs at Stillman College, with Claraette Moore, assistant marketing and co-campaign director of the United Negro College Fund, circa April 2006. Dr. Lena Prewitt died on February 14, 2024, at age 92.   Capt. James Paul died peacefully in his suburban community near Los Angeles, California, at age 80.   DeAndra and I will miss Capt. James Paul, always and forever! It is up to us to safeguard Capt. Paul's legacy and his rightful place in American history.