By Dr. J. Ester Davis
Craig Watkins was an attorney, a legal genius with creative strategies that worked, a patriot, a native son. He passed away on December 12, 2023. He was born in 1967. For my audiences around the globe, Attorney Craig Watkins roots, legacy, successes and significance were planted and etched on Texas soil. His family history is rich in Dallas culture, reputation and prepared substance. From Dallas’ Carter High School, to Prairie View A&M University to Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. Craig Watkins was a proud ‘A-list’ African American and a District Attorney of color in his hometown.
Craig Watkins served as District Attorney of a 25+ city region from 2007 to 2014. He made national news and was in some circles at one time, linked to the ‘new administration name-dropping list’ being formed by President Obama. As a noted icon, Mr. Watkins made his job look totally effortlessly easy. Everything worked for him until he created a ‘free pass’ system for getting black prisoners out of prison. Exonerated was the word. There were more than two(2) dozen Texas convicted prisoners, all black, who walked out on free land. Craig Watkins was widely praised for his creativity. He created the conviction Integrity unit…..for wrongly convicted inmates. Seemingly, all too very often we hear on television this terrible word connected to a black man with 20+ years behind bars for a crime someone else committed. I don’t care what you say, those smiles do not look genuine!
Every elected official should have some platform/project that unmistakenly comes from the people that voted for him. Lets call that ‘major power’ for the privilege to serve. Craig Watkins’ platform was based on the intense listening powers he certainly heard all of his life in Texas. I know I did. From Texas, with cousins in high positions in the penal system, paralegal experience for black law firms that was unending, the masons that propel justice, disbarring of black attorneys, pastors that aimed high, Mothers with $5 payments…. Craig Watkins’ intent was to fix it. I think Mr. Watkins was merely fulfilling the wishes of his voters and the history against the injustice. .
The question here is what happened to this righteous idea? Does it still exist? In Texas? How many exonerations since Craig Watkins’ tenure?
Attorney Craig Watkins was always in the news, on call, in demand, the 2nd phone call made from family members seeking a solution. We MUST know and remember.. that he had the solution. It was a proven fact! That’s why I hope this article has a familiar tone. I called it ‘unbuttoned’ so everyone could play a part. A major leading character role. Every day, we unbutton, zip up, zip down, snap, hook, put-a-pin-in it, trash it …in our daily walk. I like “Unbuttoned” because it’s a dual edged sword. The uncovering of the Texas Legal System and the ‘unvoting’ black constituency that ignores the challenge. This is not an elephant-in-the-room, but a herd of Rhinos, on the minds of African American mothers, fathers about the flawed justice system in Texas. We have more than a “few” innocent people in prisons around the world. The statistics are clear, recorded and printed. It is all there. Look it up!! I cannot imagine that burden-of-knowledge upon any black jurist. Simply put, Attorney General Craig Watkins had a large base of folks that disagreed with his American ideals. In noble terms, exonerations of convicted peoples is not the correct thing to do in Texas.
You are right…..I am out of space and time. After his public service days, in private practice, Mr. Craig Watkins’ voicemail stayed full with legal request from everywhere, about this one subject. As a member of black media, we all are confronted with like-stories from the communities we serve. At a forum just few months ago, hosted by Texas Metro News, a mother, Dorothy Patterson, now a podcaster, approached me about her son who was in prison and the DNA had cleared him. And, I repeat, he was in prison … still in prison. Dorothy’s son was convicted at 33 years of age. He is now 38 years old and still has the same address ….a Texas prison.
Sidebar: Still fighting, Dorothy Patterson’s Podcast targets the seven(7)major prisons in Texas. She is overwhelmed with request, information and newsworthy stories. Still a big subject with no resolve.
Thank you Ms. Craig Watkins for what you left us with. You and Justice O’Connor left us with a clear destination….’our purpose in life is to help others along the way’.