Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield credits the Rev. JoAnn Watson for shaping her future in city government.
The city’s first woman mayor said her initial run for public office in 2013 would have pit her against Watson in a district race for City Council – if Watson hadn’t stepped aside that cycle. If Watson hadn’t made that choice, Sheffield believes she might not have prevailed in her bid to step up and serve.
“The entire trajectory of my life has changed because of that one run in 2013,” said Sheffield, who made history at 26 as the youngest City Council member elected in Detroit’s history. “I know that I wouldn’t be here if it had not been her sacrificing her service.”
Sheffield shared the sentiments Friday during a two-hour ceremony culminating in the unveiling of a secondary street sign in Watson’s name that Sheffield co-sponsored while president of the Detroit City Council.
The legendary Detroit activist and political leader with inter-generational reach and impact died in July 2023, at the age of 72. The Friday honor on the grounds of Central High School near Tuxedo and Linwood was held a couple of days ahead of what would have been Watson’s 75th birthday.
Watson’s decades-long career in public service spanned from the Detroit City Council to the United Nations. She was the first woman director of the Detroit NAACP, a pastor at West Side Community Church and a lifelong advocate to provide reparations for descendants of slaves.
Watson served on Detroit’s City Council for a decade from 2003 to 2013 and was a fierce water and human rights advocate. She also served as a public liaison for the late former Congressman John Conyers Jr. and developed strong community ties as host of the “Wake Up Detroit!” radio and television program, referenced frequently Friday for its groundbreaking impact in the city.
“Her voice may be silent but her impact will continue to echo,” said Maxine Willis, a colleague of Watson’s at WHPR FM, the city’s Black-owned and operated radio and television network.
Watson held positions on a variety of boards and community groups, including the Black Legacy Coalition, Detroit Council of Elders and Unity Urban Ministerial School. She was also appointed by Sheffield as a leader of the voter-approved Detroit Reparations Task Force.
Even in her final days, Sheffield said, Watson “reminded us that she was committed to the work.”
“No matter how you came to know Rev. Watson, one thing was very clear: She was a fighter for our people,” said Sheffield, who called Watson a “bold and unapologetic” council member.
“I did not have the opportunity to serve alongside Mother Watson (on the council), but I’ve always admired how she showed up, how she spoke truth to power, and never backed down when it came to advocating for everyday Detroiters, especially those who felt unseen, unheard and left out,” she said.
Detroit City Council President James Tate, the first council member to send a letter of support for the Watson street naming, said Friday that the culmination Friday is a moment that belongs to the people who advocated for “one of our greatest champions.”
Tate reflected on when he took office in 2010 and that he was the youngest council member at the time serving alongside Watson.
“She was tough on me and she demanded that I was always prepared at the table,” he said. “As we look up at this sign, let it not just be a mark of where she walked, but a reminder of how we must lead.”
The Detroit City Council selected Watson for the honorary street sign in October 2025. In addition to Watson, four others – Imam Abdulla El-Amin, Viola Liuzzo, Greg Mudge and Lamont “KEM” Owens – were granted last fall out of 23 candidates to be honored.
Liuzzo’s secondary street sign, at Pembroke and Mansfield, was unveiled April 11, marking the civil rights advocate’s birthday at the former Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church where her funeral was held. An unveiling for Mudge took place in December, a ceremony to formalize the sign for KEM is expected next month and El-Amin’s has not yet been set.
Beyond speeches from Sheffield and Tate, Friday’s event featured a packed roster of speakers, including the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit Branch NAACP, a longtime friend, neighbor and classmate of Watson, as well as former radio colleagues and activist Helen Moore. There was an African drum and dance performance and an ashé libation ceremony led by Detroiter Malik Yakini.
Anthony shared stories of his childhood with Watson, a next-door neighbor, sister and friend, who baked the best biscuits around, helped keep him on track in class and convinced him to get involved with the NAACP. He’s since served as a president for over 30 years.
“When it comes to standing up, that’s who JoAnn Watson was,” he said. “That’s the greatest tribute we can pay to our sister, to do something about it, to be about it, don’t just talk about it.”
In an interview with Detroit Public Television shared a month before her death, Watson discussed how she found a passion for activism at the age of 12 when her grandparents took her to the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom. Watson said she was mentored by Rosa Parks and the two visited reparations conferences together.
Watson was among the residents to testify during Detroit’s bankruptcy case about water shutoffs and affordability and was at the forefront of efforts for affordable water before that, inspiring Sheffield to champion her own water affordability efforts while serving on Detroit’s City Council.
“Mother Watson didn’t just serve Detroit, she shaped Detroit,” Sheffield said. “Now her name will forever be a part of the very streets that she fought so hard to uplift.”
