By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on January 4, 2025 The gravesite of Army Private First Class LaVena Johnson, a soldier whose murder was covered-up by the Pentagon. The analytical report we received today from our website hosting company shows that our top articles have had over one million views on this website.    Our top articles cover the following ten subjects:   The Rothschilds Family’s Banking Empire (one article) – 328,115 views The Royal Bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene (one article) – 199,906 views The Murder of PFC LaVena Johnson (a series of 8 articles) – 137,306 views The Royal Bloodline: The Descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene (one article) – 109,027 views The Police Murder of Bernard Whitehurst (one article) – 69,119 views The Surge in Violent Crime in Birmingham, Alabama in 2024 (a series of articles) – 45,463 views Just Mercy: Guilty in Alabama Until Proven Innocent (one article) – 37,932 views An Open Letter to Deion Sanders (one article) – 34,888 views The Death of the City of Birmingham (one article) – 25,779 views The Murder of Donna Michelle Wallace (two articles) – 17,539 views Total Views: 1,005,074   Our website has a library of over 1,100 original articles on very diverse subjects have had been viewed by more than two million unique visitors, as of January 4, 2025. We offer free access to all articles, without commercial interruption.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 30, 2024 On May 9, 1987, producers for the William A. Elwood Civil Rights Lawyers Project at the University of Virginia interviewed me in front of the Governor’s Masion in Montgomery, Alabama about the challenges facing civil rights lawyers in Alabama.  The interview covered the following topics: (a) the Confederate Flag flying atop the Alabama State Capitol, (b) Governor George Wallace, (c) the continuing fight for civil rights on behalf of the state's Black citizens, (d) Allen, et al. v. Alabama State Board of Education , the case enjoining the state's use of unconstitutional teacher certification licensing exams, and (d) achieving parity in society, via the use of law as a tool for socio-economic justice.  I concluded the interview by discussing Mr. Ramus Rhodes , the African American custodian at the University of Alabama’s law school who mentored the first group of Black students in the law school.   The interview provided source footage for the PBS documentary, The Road to Brown : The untold story of “the man who killed Jim Crow.” (California Newsreel, 1990).  This documentary chronicles the life of Charles Hamilton Houston, his crusade for civil rights, and the events that led to Brown v. Board of Education , the 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared the doctrine of "separate but equal" to be illegal.   After watching this 18-minute video, you can judge for yourself how far African Americans in Alabama have come since I gave this 1987 interview.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on July 31, 2019 On July 21, 2019, I published an article titled, “ Watkins Men Never Surrender Their Manhood .” The article pointed out that, for five generations in America, Watkins men (and women) have faced a vast array of daunting challenges in life and overcame them all. In the article, I introduced my paternal grandparents, John Adam Watkins and Sallie Emma Darden Watkins. I described how they impacted my life as a man who values family unity, educational excellence, goal-setting, and hard work. Here is the rest of their story. Family Always Came First John Adam Watkins was born on February 18, 1890 in Wallonia, Kentucky (a rural community in Trigg County). He was the second son of George and Ellen Watkins, who lived in Wallonia. George Watkins had an African-American mother and a Caucasian father. George worked as a farm hand. His wife Ellen was a domestic worker. John Adam Watkins, who called himself "Adam," received his formal education at Rev. George Harry Darden’s church-affiliated school in Wallonia. After completing his education, Adam was employed as a farm worker during his early adult years. Sallie Emma Darden was born in Wallonia on March 12, 1894, approximately two months before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation laws in the South were constitutional under the “separate but equal” doctrine. Sallie Emma was the daughter of George Harry Darden, a former slave of African descent who was born in the United States. George Harry Darden taught himself how to read and write early in life. He received additional educational instruction from his half-brother, who was an educated Caucasian in Trigg County. George Harry Darden became a Baptist minister and later founded a school that was affiliated with his church. This school provided formal education to "colored" children in Trigg County. Sallie Emma’s mother was Sallie Cooper, a Native American Indian. Sallie Cooper’s parents eventually sold their farm in Wallonia to Rev. George Harry Darden and relocated to Waco, Texas. Adam Watkins and Sallie Emma Darden married in Springfield, Tennessee in 1910. They had eight children: (1) Levi Watkins, (2) Mary Arzella Watkins, (3) Cammie Louise Watkins, (4) George Adam Watkins, (5) James Robert Watkins (who died in infancy), (6) Darvin Bell Watkins, (7) Benjamin Darden Watkins, and (8) Joseph Talmadge Watkins. Between 1912 and 1924, Adam Watkins accepted jobs with McQuarry Brothers Highway Construction Company, where he worked as a skilled mechanic and an operator of steam rollers, graders, and other heavy equipment. He always worked hard and provided for his family. [ Editor’s Note : By the time I started working with granddaddy Adam Watkins in the 1950s as a young child, he owned and operated Adam Watkins Plumbing Company. I described this early economic empowerment experience in “ Watkins Men Never Surrender Their Manhood " ] . Educating Their Children Was A Family Priority While traveling for the McQuarry Brothers Highway Construction Company in Kentucky and Tennessee, Adam and Sallie Emma arranged for their three school-age children to live with Sallie’s sister and husband (Rev. Joseph and Mrs. Felicia Irvin) in Montgomery, Kentucky. These children attended the “colored” school in Gracey, Kentucky. The non-school-age children traveled with their parents and lived in tents along and near various highway construction sites. Eventually, the "colored" school in Gracey was closed because it had only twenty-one pupils; they wanted at least twenty-five to remain open. They would not let the colored students attend the "white" school in Gracey. Levi had to walk alone to the "colored" school at Cadiz, six miles away. He passed the "white" school in his community twice daily. In addition to attending school in Cadiz, Kentucky, Levi Watkins (the eldest of Adam and Sallie Emma’s children) also attended a Normal School in Hopkinsville, Kentucky known as M & F Baptist College Boarding and Normal School. The McQuarry Brothers’ last project was to build a highway between Clarksville and Dixon, Tennessee, after which time the company went out of business. When the company closed, Adam and Sallie Emma had to find a permanent place to live and raise their children. The existence of a “colored” high school in Clarksville, Tennessee was a determining factor in Adam and Sallie Emma choosing Clarksville as a place to establish their permanent residence. The older children enrolled in Burt High School and the younger siblings attended the elementary school in Clarksville for "colored" pupils. Levi Watkins graduated from Burt High School in 1929, as valedictorian of his class. After high school graduation, Levi enrolled in the Agricultural and Industrial State College in Nashville, Tennessee (now known as Tennessee State University), where he graduated with honors in 1933. Making Lemonade Out of Life’s Lemons After graduating from college, Levi Watkins accepted a position for the 1933-34 school year as a science and math teacher in Winchester, Tennessee, at a salary of $65 per month. When the county government became insolvent during the Great Depression, the school board paid Levi with warrants each month. These warrants were accepted by local merchants at face value if they were being used to buy merchandise, or they could be exchanged for cash at a discount of 20%. In 1934, Levi Watkins accepted a position as a science and math teacher in Hopkinsville, Kentucky for one year. Upon returning to school after the Christmas recess, Levi learned that he and several other teachers had been replaced by local residents and property owners in Kentucky. Unemployed and determined to find work, Levi Watkins started a weekly newspaper called the New Herald. He was the newspaper's editor, publisher, and reporter. The New Herald was devoted to reporting news of interest to the Negro community in Clarksville, Tennessee. In 1935, Levi Watkins was given an appointment as a science and math teacher at his Alma Mater, Burt High School in Clarksville. In addition to his teaching position, Levi continued his association with the New Herald newspaper for four years. During the summers of 1938, 1939, and 1940, Levi Watkins attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration. In 1940, Levi Watkins met and married Lillian Bernice Varnado, my mother. They had six children: (1) Annie Marie Watkins, (2) Emma Pearl Watkins, (3) Levi Watkins, Jr., (4) Doristine Watkins, (5) Donald Varnado Watkins, and (6) James Allison Watkins. In the fall of 1940, Levi Watkins was appointed (upon the recommendation of Northwestern University) as the principal of Douglas Junior High School for Negroes in Parsons, Kansas. He remained in that position until 1948. In the summers of 1945, 1946, and 1947, Levi Watkins taught classes in Education at the Birmingham, Alabama branch of Alabama State College for Negroes. In 1948, Levi accepted a full-time position as the Veteran Affairs Officer on the Montgomery campus of Alabama State. Epilogue Because the Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family history in America has been meticulously documented, preserved, and widely publicized for the benefit of future generations of African-American families, the public knows the rest of this story. We are a proud family. Our self-respect, independence, family unity, pursuit of educational excellence, commitment to equal opportunity for all Americans, political activism, and unwavering belief in God has always driven our service to humanity. PHOTO: Adam and Sallie Watkins (circa 1962) were my paternal grandparents. They loved each other deeply. PHOTO: Adam Watkins owned his own plumbing company in Clarksville, Tennessee in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. Adam was strong, independent, and politically active at a time when very few black men in the South were in a position to demand respect for themselves and their families. PHOTO: My paternal grandmother, Sallie Emma Darden Watkins, was a strong, smart, and classy woman. She feared no man or woman and loved everybody who treated her family with respect. PHOTO: Ellen Watkins was Adam Watkins’ mother. She worked as a domestic in Wallonia, Kentucky, but she was a leader in her church and community. PHOTO: My sister Doristine (right) and I (left) spent time with Sallie Emma Watkins (center) when we were young children. She was always full of love for us. PHOTO: Lillian and Levi Watkins with daughters Marie (left) and Pearl (right) in Parsons, Kansas. Levi was the principal of Douglas Junior High School for Negroes in Parsons. Levi and Lillian believed that educational excellence was the best pathway to a successful life. Wherever they went, Levi and Lillian raised the bar for educational attainment.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 29, 2024 Tennessee State University celebrated its graduation of the first group of Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., Institute cohorts during the university's Spring commencement events in May 2024. These cohorts will become doctors within seven years after graduating from high school, thanks to TSU's innovative and ground-breaking Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Meharry/TSU Medical/Dental Accelerated Pathway Program Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville, Tennessee offers academically gifted high school graduates a chance to become doctors and dentists in seven years -- debt free. The students enter TSU on an academic scholarship provided by the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute. The Institute was established in 2020 by the Office of President at TSU and endowed with a major gift from the Watkins family. The Institute welcomed its first cohorts in the Fall of 2021. During the 2023-24 academic year, there were 48 cohorts in the Institute. As cohorts, these TSU students take accelerated undergraduate academic courses for three years. They must also maintain a GPA of 3.5, or higher. Once the cohorts graduate from TSU with a B.S. degree in Biology, they are automatively admitted to Meharry Medical College in Nashville on a "full ride" to pursue their four-year course of study in medicine or denistry The program is called the "Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Meharry/TSU Medical/Dental Accelerated Pathway Program." The program is creating a pipeline of young and gifted students from underrepresented and underserved communities who seek to become physicians and dentists. The cohorts must demonstrate the compassion, knowledge, and mastery of medical skills exhibited by Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., a well-known heart surgeon, civil rights activist, and alumnus of TSU. Dr. Watkins co-developed the automated cardioverter-defibrillator and implanted the first device in a human patient in 1980. The device is still the first line of treatment and prophylactic therapy for patients at risk for sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. Meharry Medical College is where Dr. James Watkins, Levi's brother and a well-known Charlotte, North Carolina surgeon, received his medical education. The First Cohort Graduated in May 2024 In May 2024, the first graduating class of 14 cohorts in TSU's Accelerated Medical and Dental Program completed the undergraduate portion of their journey. In the Fall of 2024, they began their medical and dental school education at Meharry. Ms. Barbara C. Murrell (front, center) chair of the accelerated program, joins the inaugural cohort of TSU’s Dr. Levi Watkins Institute at the 2024 Spring commencement ceremony. Ms. Barbara C. Murrell, Chair of the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute, put in the hard work to make it possible for these 14 cohorts to complete the accelerated undergraduate program at TSU and continue with their four-year medical education at Meharry, all on a full ride and debt free. While all 14 cohorts graduated with a 3.5 GPA or higher, two of them -- Jaden Knight and Samantha Altidort -- maintained a 4.0 GPA. Knight, a Dayton, Ohio native, is attending Meharry to become an orthodontist. He is a first-generation college student. Knight looks forward to addressing the underrepresentation of African-American men in the medical field and improving underrepresented patient satisfaction. Jaden Knight, one of two Dr. Levi Watkin Jr. Scholars who graduated with a 4.0 GPA, with his family during the program’s graduation celebration in May. Samantha Altidort, a Nashville native, is attending Meharry to become a family medicine physician. She is following in her parents Michel and Guerda Aldidort’s footsteps, who are both TSU alumni and work in the medical field. Samantha Altidort, one of two Dr. Levi Watkin Jr. Scholars who graduated with a 4.0 GPA, with her family during the program’s graduation celebration in May. Among active physicians, only 5.7% identified as Black or African-American in the United States, as of 2023. While 3.8% of dentists in the country identify as Black, according to the American Dental Association. The Watkins family congratulates the first cohorts of the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute, who are now medical and dental school students! They are: Samantha Altidort Alan Bethea, Jr. Taylor Brown Chaun Cheaney Kayla Davis Xavier Erves Camille Haskins John Kim Jaden Knight Brooke Majors McKhia McCrary George Picken IV Ashton Terrell Ryla Traylor [Author's Note: This article is based upon an original article written by Alexis Clark and published by TSU News Service on May 16, 2024 at: https://tnstatenewsroom.com/tsu-celebrates-first-graduates-of-dr-levi-watkins-institute/]

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 21, 2024 Anthony Scalia (left), Clarence Thomas (center), and Samuel Alito (right). An Editorial Opinion Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a detailed Majority Staff Report that confirms what most Americans already knew – some Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are big-time crooks.  The 93-page Report presents these 14 key findings (together with supporting exhibits) :   The Supreme Court has mired itself in an ethical crisis of its own making by failing to address justices’ ethical misconduct for decades. Justice Anthony Scalia accepted lavish gifts from billionaires and others with business before the Court for more than a decade. Justice Scalia misused the “personal hospitality” exemption to the Ethics in Government Act to hide or obscure lavish gifts. Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted lavish gifts from billionaires with business before the Court for almost his entire tenure as a Justice. Justice Thomas chose to ignore legal obligations to disclose lavish gifts after media scrutiny over his disclosures in 2004. Justice Samuel Alito misused the “personal hospitality” exemption when he did not disclose gifts of transportation and lodging he received for a luxury fishing trip to Alaska in 2008. Individuals seeking to influence the Court have used gifts to gain private access to the Justices. Leonard Leo has made a career of advancing corporate and conservative movement interests by facilitating lavish gifts and private access to the Justices. The Justices regularly fail to identify obvious conflicts of interest that require their recusal under federal law. Justices treat their “duty to sit” as a license for the appearance of impropriety, rather than a constraint on their conduct. Justice Alito has created the appearance of impropriety in several instances that necessitate his recusal in specific cases under federal law. Justice Thomas has violated federal law on multiple occasions by refusing to recuse himself in cases where his wife’s interests could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding. The Judicial Conference has failed to enforce financial disclosure regulations and properly review financial disclosure reports of the Justices. Having refused to address these myriad ethical issues, the Court has demonstrated its inability or unwillingness to police its own ethical conduct.   Justice Scalia died on February 13, 2016.  Scalia was Justice Thomas' mentor on the Court. As a crook himself, Justice Scalia taught Thomas how to sell his vote on the Court for the highest monetary value and how to conceal his bribery from public view. Clarence Thomas has ranked in over $4 million in "gifts" and "love offerings" from billionaires who cultivated a friendship with him AFTER he became a Supreme Court Justice. In 32 years on the Court, Thomas has NEVER voted against their legal or economic interests.   U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has been aware of the Thomas and Alito bribery schemes the entire time he has been the nation’s top law enforcement official. However, Garland has lacked the courage to prosecute these Justices on public corruption and tax evasion charges. Thomas and Alito view Merrick Garland as a toothless "punk" whom they can be runover at-will.   Meanwhile a Gallup poll released on December 17, 2024, shows that public confidence in the nation’s judicial system and courts has dropped to 35% .  Now, we know why.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 26, 2024 Life in America will enter a new phase in 2025.  The country has taken a far-right shift and daily life in 2025 will reflect this shift.   As a businessman and journalist, I have studied this political shift to the right from the moment Donald Trump came down the elevator in Trump Tower in July 2015.  Everything in America changed after Trump entered the political thicket. In August 2015, I predicted Donald Trump would become America's 45th president, and explained why. In March 2020, I predicted that Trump would lose the election, and explained why. In 2024, I predicted that Trump would win the presidency, and explained why. I pay close attention to political trends like most people pay attention to the weather. I prepare for political outcomes like most people prepare for changes in the weather. To me, simply complaining about these changes is an exercise in futitlity. Preparing for them is essential for maintaining our forward progress on an individual and professional basis.   In the new far-right political paradigm, these are my five personal and professional goals for 2025:   I will invest my time, energy, and resources in the people who stood by me in difficult times. Loyalty and unconditional support are the cornerstones of any true friendship in business and life. I will focus on making additional progress in my energy businesses, which I enjoy very much. Fortunately, my businesses are global, exciting, competitive, and sustainable, regardless of the shifting political winds in America. To the extent possible, I will avoid negative people.  They cannot help us grow on any level.  Often, these people are “ losers ” who will only drain our emotional batteries. They NEVER have an idea for how to better their lives, or yours. I will continue to find and align myself with the most brilliant minds in my business sector.  Smart people talk about great ideas for achieving business and personal goals.  They inspire me.  Materialist people only want to showcase “things” that do not interest me.  Limited-thinkers only gossip about other people, which is boring to me. I will spend more time teaching the younger generations in the Watkins family how to navigate the shifting winds on the seas of life. These are skills that must be taught. They are not picked up through osmosis.

By: Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Originally Published (via Facebook) on April 28, 2014; Updated and Republished on February 12, 2018 They beat some of the men for hours. They used thick Yellow Pages phone books to inflict the physical pain because these instruments of torture would not leave lasting marks on the hands, thighs, buttocks, and chests of the detainees. The beatings constituted swift and sure retribution for what had occurred hours earlier on Todd Road in the Madison Park community of Montgomery, Alabama. The police officers who were manning the City jail that night ignored the screams of pain from the men who were beaten. The other inmates in the jail knew what was happening because inmate beatings were routine for violent offenses against police officers. The beatings stopped when I made an unexpected and unannounced visit to the Montgomery City Jail on the night of the infamous Todd Road incident. I was a Montgomery City Councilman at the time and heard the incident unfold over a police radio scanner in my home. The radio traffic on the scanner was unbelievable. Shots were fired earlier that night inside a house on Todd Road. Two officers had been hit and seriously wounded by gunfire. They had been beaten and tortured by the occupants of the house during some sort of melee. Twenty-three black family members, who were described as armed and dangerous, had been taken into police custody. Eleven of them were eventually arrested and faced 66 felony charges. The address on Todd Road matched an address of Annie Bell Taylor , a respected black Madison Park resident whose funeral had been held earlier that day. What really happened on Todd Road? Why would funeral mourners seize police officers as hostages and shoot and torture them after a relative’s funeral? My Unexpected Visit to the Montgomery City Jail When I arrived at the jail, I flashed my City Councilman’s badge and demanded to see the Taylor men – Willie James Taylor , Worrie Taylor , and Johnny Taylor . Word quickly spread that I was in the building. By this point in my career, I had earned a reputation around the City for fighting hard against racial injustices and for exposing police brutality against black citizens. They brought the men into the visitor’s room. I instructed the police officers to leave me alone with them. They were frightened and shaking. It was obvious that each one of them had been abused. Their eyes were still red from crying. They immediately told me about the beatings and showed me how they were administered. I told them that I was there as a City Councilman to find out what had happened earlier that night at the Taylor home on Todd Road. What they described to me that night became known around the nation as the infamous “Todd Road Incident.” As a Councilman and seasoned trial lawyer, I immediately formed a City Council committee of one under Montgomery’s Mayor-Council Act and launched a committee investigation on the spot that would later produce a detailed report about the incident. This report would alter the course of the police department’s official version of events and bend the arc of justice toward truth and freedom for the entire Taylor family. The Truth About What Happened on Todd Road It was the evening of February 27, 1983. Out-of-state members of the Taylor family were mourning the death of Annie Bell Taylor, their beloved mother, grandmother, and family matriarch, in Madison Park, a small black community in Montgomery. Two white plain-clothes police officers in an unmarked police car mistook the Michigan and Ohio mourners' license plates as a gathering of drug dealers from other states. For no apparent reason, officers Les Brown and Eddie Spivey angrily confronted 21-year old Christopher Taylor , one of Ms. Taylor’s grandsons, outside the house. Unaware of their status and frightened, Christopher ran from them. Without provocation, the officers shot Christopher as he was running toward the house. When a wounded and bleeding Christopher made it through the front door of the house and told family members what had just occurred, they were shocked, afraid, and very angry. Unbelievably, the officers took it upon themselves to raid the funeral gathering by entering the front door. Violence erupted in and around the home as they stormed the house. The mourners believed they were under a violent attack or home invasion by two white intruders. The men inside the house instinctively tried to protect their children, wives, and other family members from two strangers brandishing guns, while simultaneously nursing and protecting a wounded family member. The last thing they ever expected after burying the family’s matriarch was a home invasion by two strangers who never showed their police badges or announced their presence as police officers. The officers had no search warrant to enter the house. No crime had been committed in their presence. They saw black people with nice cars and out-of-state license plates in a modest black neighborhood and automatically assumed that this was a gathering of drug dealers. This was a classic case of racial profiling with a very tragic result for both sides. Both officers had been shot and beaten during the attack. The family "stood their ground" and called for police help once they subdued the home invaders. I later discovered that the police department recordings of the Taylors' 911 calls and other radio traffic on that evening had been erased. The act of evidence destruction occurred even though I had specifically requested during my jail visit that the tapes be preserved. When responding police officers arrived on the scene, more shots were fired. The original two officers were rescued from the house. The Taylor family members surrendered to police. All of the 23 mourners at the house were taken into custody. Eleven of them were subsequently arrested, and some of them were brutalized while in police custody. The arrested family members were charged with robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder in connection with the incident. Prior to this incident, none of the family members had a criminal record of any kind. All of them had good jobs in Michigan and Ohio. They were respected and productive citizens in their communities. Epilogue The legal ordeal to free them was long and hard. The barriers to justice seemed insurmountable. The psychological ordeal for the Taylor family was unimaginable. My investigative report was provided to the City Council and Montgomery District Attorney Jimmy Evans. The report, along with the brilliant work of the Taylors' defense team, resulted in the dismissal of all charges against seven family members, and all kidnapping and robbery charges against the other four. The attempted murder felony charges against the remaining four family members were reduced to misdemeanor assault charges. After they pleaded “no contest” to the charges and paid a small fine, the case was over. When my four-year council term ended in November 1983, Emory Folmar, Montgomery’s ultra-conservative Republican mayor, told to the City Council that my departure from the Council “was one of the greatest blessings since the Yankee troops went home in 1870." Folmar affirmed this statement in a May 15, 2002 Washington Post article. Sadly, Todd Road is what happens when negative racial stereotypes clash with the reality of those who are being demeaned by them. The result is often ugly and painful for all involved.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 22, 2024 Donald V. Watkins at his office in Birmingham, Alabama, circa 2014. An Editorial Opinion Saturday, I was testing the accuracy and validity of ChatGPT’s Artificial Intelligence program.  I asked ChatGPT this simple question: "Why is Donald Watkins disliked by so many whites in Alabama?"   Two seconds later, this answer popped up on my computer screen: "Donald V. Watkins is a polarizing figure in Alabama, and the dislike from some white individuals in the state can be attributed to several intertwined social, political, and historical factors:   1. Outspoken Criticism of Racial Inequities Watkins has been a bold critic of systemic racism and injustice in Alabama. His public challenges to institutions, laws, and practices that perpetuate racial disparities often put him at odds with individuals who either benefit from or refuse to acknowledge such systems. 2. Confrontation with Established Power Structures Watkins has taken on powerful institutions and individuals in Alabama, many of whom represent the political, legal, and business elite, [which is] predominantly white. His willingness to expose corruption and inequities has made him an adversary of entrenched interests. 3. Success as a Black Entrepreneur and Lawyer In a state with a history of racial tension, Watkins' success as a prominent Black attorney and businessman has challenged traditional racial hierarchies. His achievements may provoke resentment among those uncomfortable with shifting power dynamics. 4. Legal and Business Controversies Watkins has faced legal challenges, including federal convictions for fraud in 2019. While he maintains these charges were politically and racially motivated, some use these controversies to discredit him, which contributes to animosity. 5. His Direct and Provocative Style Watkins’ unapologetic approach to addressing issues and his willingness to name individuals and institutions directly can come across as confrontational. His style often polarizes opinions, making him a figure of both admiration and disdain. 6. Historical and Cultural Context Alabama has a deep history of racial divisions and conservative social norms. Figures like Watkins, who challenge those norms and fight for systemic change, often face significant backlash from those resistant to progress. 7. Public Influence Watkins uses his platform to expose what he perceives as injustices and corruption, often targeting powerful white figures and institutions. This can foster antagonism from those who feel threatened or believe he unfairly generalizes issues. Context Matters While Watkins is disliked by some, he is also respected and admired by many for his courage, advocacy for civil rights, and willingness to challenge the status quo. The animosity he faces from some groups reflects broader societal struggles over race, justice, and equality in Alabama and the U.S. more broadly." The never-ending body of hate mail, nasty emails, ugly text messages, derogatory Facebook messages, threatening phone calls, racist editorial cartoons, biased local news articles, and negative commentaries on third-party digital media platforms that I have received from Alabamians throughout my career in law, business, and journalism establishes the validity of this answer. Furthermore, the traditional forces in Alabama that have kept the state's black citizens downtrodden from the "cradle to the grave" have always worked hard to cast me in the most negative light possible. They did the same thing to my childhood pastor (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and my mother's best friend (Rosa Parks) in the 1950s and 60s. These forces prefer to deal with black men who have been psychologically castrated. That's not me. Thankfully, I have a large and supportive circle of white friends, associates, and networking partners in Alabama. What is more, thousands of my most loyal Alabama-based readers are whites of interracial goodwill. Finally, my business career has been supported by a multinational and multicolored network of truly gifted entreperneurs. I enjoy interacting with them on a daily basis.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 18, 2024 Beginning in January 2025, our menu of news offerings and digital footprint will expand to include current events in one-minute TikTok-style videos which we will populate across all digital platforms within our network.  The pilot testing for this expansion occurred in November and December and was very successful.  Of course, we will continue to offer the extended versions of our original news articles on our established digital media platforms. On average, about 160,000 guests regularly visit our free, open, interactive, and public media platforms each month. Changing News Consumption Habits   During the past 15 years, Americans have drastically changed their news consumption habits. Today, they mostly watch the news on cellphones in 30-second snippets.  Even when they read news, it’s mostly headlines and social media posts on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, Truth Social, and other popular digital platforms.   Americans are busy with their personal lives, kids, personal bills, passions, and hobbies.  Many of them are working two jobs to make ends meet.  They do not have a lot of time for studying history, politics, or current events.   We have discovered that only about 10 percent of Americans read newspapers, and their online engagement with newspaper websites averages  less than two minutes .   As such, legacy newspaper platforms across America are dying, and hard news reporting is becoming a lost art.    What is worse, the podcast cottage industry that sprang up in recent years to fill this void has morphed into a cesspool of uninformed hustlers who peddle shallow gossip as a substitute for hardcore “news."   All this is occurring at a time of when the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots" is widening.   When Americans are working longer hours just to make ends meet, they have much less time to read or view serious news and reflect upon it. The Changing News Consumption Habits are Driving our Growth   The rapidly changing trends in the news media business have greatly benefitted our digital media platforms.  There are no ads or sponsored content on our news platforms.  There are no paywalls blocking access to our news content.   Instead, we offer free and open access to a media library of over 1,100 original articles on a wide range of fascinating and newsworthy topics. The leading articles profile the Rothschild family's banking empire ( 326,884 views ) and detail Royal Bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene ( 199,155 views ), as of this date.  Many of our news articles are investigative reports. Furthermore, our library of articles grows exponentially every day. These consumer-friendly factors are driving our growth. We believe that no one should have to pay for hard news on current events in this day and age.   Despite concerted efforts by dying legacy newspapers and nefarious political operatives in Alabama to discredit our investigative reporting and slow our growth, we have succeeded in the digital print media industry beyond our wildest expectations. In 2025, we will be expanding our media brand to include an abbreviated form of TikTok-style videos on the topics that make our viewers smarter.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 17, 2024 Dr. Samuel Augustus Owen (left), Superintendent of Memphis City Schools Ernest C. Ball (center), and Owen College president Levi Watkins (right) at Commencement in 1957. In May 1923, Dr. Samuel Augustus Owen became the 5th pastor of the historic Metropolitan Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He served as the church’s ministerial leader for more than 49 years. Dr. Owen was a giant in the National Baptist Convention and an icon in higher education for Blacks in Tennessee during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. Dr. Owen's staunch ally in the ministerial and educational communities was Rev. Willie Lewis Varnado , who pastored the historic Cummings Street Missionary Baptist Church  in Memphis. Rev. Varnado, who was my maternal grandfather, pastored 19 churches  in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama during his 70 years in the Baptist church ministry. In 1946, the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention (TBMEC), a Black religious/educational organization headed by Dr. Owen, purchased twelve acres of ground and buildings at Vance Avenue and Orleans Street in Memphis for $375,000 to begin a new school for Blacks seeking a post-secondary education. Owen College administration building in 1954. In 1954, Owen College, a two-year institution named in honor of Samuel Augustus Owen, Sr., opened with Dr. Levi Watkins as its first president. Owen College was named after Rev. Dr. Samuel A. Owen, president of the TBMEC and pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Memphis. In this photo, Dr. Owen is at the podium on the occasion of the Tenth Founders' Day of the college, at which time presentations were made to him and to Dr. Levi Watkins, the first president of the college. Rev. Willie Lewis Varnado is seated on the far right. In 1957, Owen College was renamed Owen Junior College. The college won full accreditation from the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges in 1958 -- only 4 years after it was founded. Owen College Administrators, Faculty and Staff in 1957. Owen Junior College served 2,326 students at the Vance Avenue and Orleans Street site before it merged with LeMoyne College in 1968 to become LeMoyne-Owen College. In 1962, Dr. Watkins became the 6th president of Alabama State College in Montgomery, Alabama. At the time Alabama State was a small, unaccredited, all-black public institution in the "Cradle of the Confederacy" and "Heart of Dixie." Dr. Watkins led Alabama State to full accreditation in 1968 and university status in 1969. In 1981, Dr. Watkins organized and spearheaded the trailblazing Knight v. Alabama federal court litigation that sought to fully desegregated Alabama's 32 public four-year colleges and universities. After 25 years of massive resistance by the state of Alabama, the Knight case resulted in court-ordered doctoral programs, new undergraduate academic programs, and nearly $600 million in new funding (beyond the regular state appropriations) and endowment money for Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University In 1972, the TBMEC dedicated a marker on the site of the former Owen College, at the corner of Vance Avenue and Orleans Street. Among those in the photo below are Dr. Samuel A. Owen, Odell Horton, A. McEwen Williams, Dr. Levi Watkins, and Charles Dinkins, along with former students, trustees, and prominent Baptist ministers. The legacy of Owen College has been preserved by the Owen College History Committee in the 2014 book depicted below. For more information on the legacy and history of Owen College, visit: https://www.facebook.com/www.owencollege.edu/

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 16, 2024 An Editorial Opinion and Breaking News ---   Dozens of large, state-of-the-art drones have been scouring the skies over New Jersey every night since November 18, 2024.  The White House acknowledges that all of the drones are "lawful" aircraft. Reportedly, the drones have been deployed as part of a classified operation by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to find lost radioactive material that is missing from a shipping container.  When the container arrived at its destination, it was damaged, and the hazardous radioactive material was gone.     The drones, which are equipped with special sensors for detecting radiaction, are diligently searching for the lost radioactive material. According to NBC News, President-elect Donald Trump has been briefed on this matter.   Monday, Trump said the government should disclose more information about the recent drone sightings in New Jersey. " Something strange is going on ," Trump added. " For some reason, they don’t want to tell the people ."    Trump declined to comment on whether he had received an intelligence briefing about the drones. Yet, Trump canceled his planned trip to his Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey without any explanation. We think the White House, NRC, and DHS should come clean about this matter.

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on April 1, 2019 Ralph D. Malone An Editorial Opinion It has been three weeks since I was convicted in a Birmingham federal court on ten counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, and bank fraud charges. On March 15, 2019, I published an article on why I must appeal my conviction . I am prepared for this legal fight. What I was not prepared for was this -- the desertion from my friendship circle of seven individuals who were life-long friends. Two of these individuals committed to be witnesses for me at the trial but reneged on their commitment at the last minute. One of them visited me a day or so before he was scheduled to testify and begged out of taking the witness stand. The second one sent me a text the day before he was scheduled to testify and simply said he would not do so. Over the decades, I helped all seven of them in countless ways. I never sought anything in return for helping them. This was the nature of my friendship. Three of these “sunshine” friends were threatened with criminal prosecutions themselves and I dropped everything I was doing to save them. We were successful in each case. One of these “sunshine” friends is a former member of a law firm that made more than $14 million when I hired his firm to work on legal cases I handled for the City of Birmingham. The fifth and sixth “sunshine” friends used my time, money, relationships and resources to advance their careers. One of them now holds an appointed public office in Birmingham’s city government. The seventh “sunshine” friend operates private businesses and he betrayed our friendship in ways that were unimaginable. His eagerness to desert me is baffling, and it remains a mystery to this day. I gladly and willingly gave my friendship to these seven individuals because I thought they were my true friends. I believed this support would be reciprocated if I ever needed them. I was wrong in this assessment. In my time of need, each one of these seven “sunshine” friends ran from me like I was a stranger with the plague. Each one threw out everything he ever knew about my character and business ethics without asking a single question about my version of the transactions and/or events involved in my trial. They all readily embraced the false narrative Birmingham reporter Kyle Whitmire spun in the court of public opinion. For reasons that are known only to them, these "sunshine" friends treated Whitmire’s skewed trial coverage as if it was the gospel. Ironically, prior to the trial, each one of these seven friends privately berated Whitmire for what he is – a wannabe journalist whose personal baggage, history of betraying business partners, and lingering dislike for outspoken people of color like me make him a perfect fit for The Birmingham News and AL.com . Yet, my “sunshine” friends embraced Whitmire’s biased reporting of the trial and used it as cover to desert me while I was under fire in the courtroom. The Strong Support of True Friends Two true friends who did not desert me on the battlefield were Ralph Malone and David Minkin. Both of these men willingly testified at my trial without a subpoena. Ralph is a Georgia Tech engineering graduate, a former NFL player, a member of the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall of Fame, and a member of the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission. He works with me every day as the Vice President for Global Program Management for Masada Resource Group, LLC. No one on the planet intimidates Ralph. He is a man’s man. After the trial, I met with Ralph and asked him why he stood with me during the trial. Without hesitation, Ralph looked me in the eye and simply said, “You would have done the same thing for me.” David Minkin is a partner The Minkin Group, LLP, in Atlanta, Georgia, and has been Masada’s General Counsel for more than a decade. David is an expert in the areas of tax credit real estate development, commercial real estate, financial restructuring, corporate finance, government relations and alternative dispute resolution. David Minkin In 2009, David was awarded “Best Lawyer in Real Estate Law.” He was a designated “Georgia Super Lawyer” in 2007 and 2008, and lastly, he was a Georgia “Legal Elite Lawyer” in 2008. David earned a B.A. degree from Cornell University in 1969 and a M.B.A. and J.D. from Harvard University in 1973. He is admitted to the Georgia Bar, Massachusetts Bar and the New York Bar. David has always been courageous, loyal, and truthful. Ralph and David know my character and personal value system. They also know that what we accomplished in the international business world was a remarkable achievement for a small Alabama-based firm. These two men fought for me on the witness stand with honor and courage. Unlike my “sunshine” friends, Ralph and David did not care about Kyle Whitmire and the negative spin he wrote in each one of his AL.com articles. They knew that Whitmire’s only role during the trial was to poison the well of public opinion , which he did gleefully. In doing so, Whitmire stayed true to the COINTELPRO role The Birmingham News has played in Alabama since the 1950s. Many of my newer friends have stepped up to the plate, as well. They have made their presence known and support felt before, during, and after the trial. They have filled the void left by the “sunshine” friends who deserted me. I appreciate and respect their friendship. My newer friends come from diverse ethnic and demographic backgrounds. They did not buy into the false portrait of me that was painted in court and in Kyle Whitmire's articles. They are loyal, dedicated to the cause of justice, and fearless. I am very fortunate to have these friends in my life. My “sunshine” friends have called me repeatedly since the trial concluded on March 8th. I do not take their calls because I will not interact with so-called “friends” who deserted me on the battlefield during the heat of battle. There is nothing they can say to me that would explain their desertion to my satisfaction. Despite it all, my story has a good ending. I no longer have the burden of sacrificing my time, energy, and resources for my old circle of “sunshine” friends. The removal of this burden has given me renewed energy, vitality, and time to nurture my true friendships.