Ep 156: Trial By Media: King Richard with Donald V. Watkins (Part 1)
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Ep 156: Trial By Media: King Richard with Donald V. Watkins (Part 1)
Episode 156: Show Notes
This week’s episode is very special as Light finally gets to interview his lifelong inspiration: his father. It’s an absolute pleasure to introduce to you, Mr. Donald V. Watkins.
Understandably, Light and his father have a lot to discuss, so the conversation with Donald will be a two-part series.
In part one, we learn about Donald’s childhood of growing up in a close-knit community in the South during the civil rights movement, with loving parents who demanded a high work ethic, and with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a Sunday-school teacher and Rosa Parks as a close family friend!
Donald recounts his first memory of experiencing direct racism and how his teachers taught him to be resilient against it, before explaining how he got into architecture and why he eventually left it to study law. We hear about a special custodian who mentored the black students of Alabama State College, what Donald learned from his days as an attorney, what inspired him to run for city council, and how he fought back against police misconduct while he was in office.
Donald’s life could be written as a movie, and you can get a glimpse of him as an attorney in action in Episode 4 of season 1 of the Netflix series, Trial by Media.
We wrap up part one with Donald V. Watkins by exploring his incredible 154-case win streak, how he ended up in prison, and why he believes that prison was his finest hour as a lawyer. Be sure not to miss this riveting, wonderful, wholesome conversation, and be on the lookout for part two!
Disclaimer: Please note that this episode contains graphic accounts of racism and prejudice. Please listen with care.
Key Points From This Episode:
Introducing a very special guest and the father of our host, Mr. Donald V. Watkins.
Donald’s incredible childhood of growing up in the South during the civil rights movement and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
A neighborhood spanking, a loving home, and respecting the family name.
What Donald learned from having Dr. King as his Sunday school teacher.
How Rosa Parks would always visit their home as one of his mother’s best friends.
More about the small-knit community of Montgomery, Alabama.
The McDonald’s story: Donald’s first direct experience of racism.
How his teachers taught him to be resilient to racism so that he could focus on his studies.
The way his father was able to get ASC accreditation, and how Donald became an architect.
Why he changed his mind and wanted to study law instead.
Mr. Ramus Rhodes: The custodian that mentored black students and gave them hope.
The lessons Donald learned from serving under Attorney Fred Gray that he still uses today.
TW: For those wishing to avoid David’s account of extreme racism, please skip audio between [21:48] and [23:29].
How he rose above being known as “the n**** lawyer from Montgomery.”
A day in the life of a civil rights attorney in 1970s Alabama.
What inspired him to run for city council, and what he learned from that experience.
The police misconduct that he witnessed during his time in city council office.
Taking a look at the steep progression of Donald’s legal career from Birmingham onwards.
Why he encouraged his children not to pursue legal careers of their own.
What gave him the edge to engineer a 154-case win streak, and how he developed his in-court persona.
Behind the curtain of Donald’s biggest cases and biggest wins.
The ins and outs of his puzzling indictment that ultimately led to his imprisonment.
What the prosecution got wrong in his fraud case.
Why he wouldn’t change anything about his early career case losses.
The reason why Donald says that going to prison was his finest hour as a lawyer.
Be sure to tune in next time for part two with Donald V. Watkins!
Tweetables:
“It’s been a long time coming, and it feels good to be on your show.” — @donaldvwatkins [0:06:54]
“Any validation and every validation we needed came in our home first. We really didn’t need anybody else’s validation. We knew we were special, we knew we were loved, and we knew we were being groomed to do something positive in society. That was my childhood.” — @donaldvwatkins [0:10:18]
“You’ve got to love everybody. Everybody is a human being. Some human beings don’t know that they have the capacity to love humanity because no one has ever liberated that inside of them. So, I learned that you don’t just judge people or write them off right away.” — @donaldvwatkins [0:16:11]
“I was very fortunate to meet two of the icons and kind of grow up in their presence; Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks. It’s a surreal feeling that they were a part of my childhood and adulthood until both of them died. — @donaldvwatkins [0:19:51]
“When a Watkins kid walks into a classroom, the only question is who's coming in second? The first place is already claimed. That was the standard we were raised with.” — @donaldvwatkins [0:35:09]
“Courage, preparation, and flawless execution equals victory. We were using law for social and economic and political engineering. It was a tool. It wasn't just because we were bored and needed something to do.” — @donaldvwatkins [0:55:09]
“My clients would get relieved. That's what I love, the fact that I could give people who were suffering for years, relief. Real-time relief.” — @donaldvwatkins [1:00:08]
“90% of all attorneys don't have the courage necessary to go into the gladiator pit; they would prefer to be a talking head on TV.” — @donaldvwatkins [1:13:43]
“It only takes 12 in a box to make things happen…You only got to motivate 12 people to rise to their inner strength and inner beauty in that moment in time. [And] they may never rise again.” — @donaldvwatkins [1:24:58]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: