Activism

Biography of Wenefrett Cecelia Phillips Watson

Wenefrett ‘Wene’ Cecelia Phillips Watson became active in the Oakland Public Schools where her children attended school. She was appointed to the Oakland Museum Commission and Oakland Symphony Board. As president of the Oakland Bay Area Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, Wene helped start the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Her passion for civil rights stimulated her to become active with the NAACP, the Urban League, and she eventually ran for City Council.

Published

2 years ago

November 9, 2021

Oakland Post

Today, Wenefrett Cecelia Phillips Watson spends quiet moments as a resident of the Lake Park Independent Living Community surrounded by family and friends.

Wenefrett ‘Wene’ Cecelia Phillips Watson was born on Oct. 29, 1921, in Marshall, Texas.

Her father was a dentist, and her mother was a fifth-grade teacher.

She earned a B.A. in English literature in three years at Bishop College. During World War II, she attended the University of Southern California where she earned a second Bachelor’s degree in Library Sciences at age 18. She met and married James A. Watson, a Howard University medical student, after she took a federal job in Wash., D.C. They relocated to Oakland in the late 1950s.

Wenefrett became active in the Oakland Public Schools where her children attended school. She was appointed to the Oakland Museum Commission and Oakland Symphony Board. As president of the Oakland Bay Area Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, Wene helped start the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Her passion for civil rights stimulated her to become active with the NAACP, the Urban League, and she eventually ran for City Council.

Wene was a business owner who created and managed WenTravel and Cruise travel agency on the first floor of the then newly constructed Oakland Marriott Downtown Hotel, Convention and Transportation Center in 1984. She held contracts with the City of Oakland, County of Alameda and the State of California as one of the few all-Black, women-owned small businesses. She retired in 1996.

Along with a wide variety of international dignitaries and ambassadors, four U.S. Presidents have met Wene Watson, including Lyndon B. Johnson, George Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

She and her husband James Watson were co-founders of Berkeley’s Church By the Side Of the Road.

Raising her children predominantly in the Oakland Unified Public School District, she and her family lived comfortably in their home on Mandana Boulevard near Lakeshore and the beautiful Lake Merritt.

Wene’s children all gave touching tributes to their mother and grandmother at her centennial birthday celebration recently. They all spoke of her ability to stabilize any adverse situation.

Wene said she was fortunate and blessed to have had a loving life partner in her husband, Dr. James A. Watson, for over 60 years. She also acknowledges the sweet friendship of Mr. Ray Dones, who brought happiness to her life after the passing of her dear husband.

After her retirement from her business in 1997, Wene reinvolved herself in the Links, where, as president, they first brought the Ebony Fashion Fair to Oakland, as well as the Oakland Museum where she spent 20 years playing a major role in ensuring African Americans were represented fairly and adequately.

Today, Wenefrett Cecelia Phillips Watson spends quiet moments as a resident of the Lake Park Independent Living Community surrounded by family and friends. She spends frequent moments with her loving son her children and grandchildren who have a range of talents, careers and accomplishments of their own as actors, models, lawyers and doctors.

At 100 years of age, she has survived one daughter, Janet Watson David; granddaughter Tiffany and grandson H. Geoffrey Watson, II.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Watershed Stewardship Pilot Project Workshop in Marin City

Don't Miss

Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan Dies After Being Struck by Car

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”