9 October 2023
Civil Rights Movement veteran Hollis Watkins Muhammad died on Sept. 20.
Though best known for his community organizing and political engagement work in Mississippi, Watkins maintained many contacts in Minnesota. In 2008, he received an honorary doctoral degree from Southwest Minnesota State University and from 2005-2019, shared his stories and wisdom on the campuses of MinnWest, Minneapolis College, Hamline University, Augsburg University and Anoka-Ramsey Community College; with students at the Friends School, Talmud Torah, Galtier Elementary, Great River Montessori and Eastern Heights Elementary in St. Paul and with community members at the East Side Freedom Library. Watkins also had a long lasting and deeply personal relationship with Southside Family Charter School in Minneapolis.
Whether it was his work as a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), his work with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, or his landmark work on redistricting in Mississippi and mentoring Black political leaders as part of Southern Echo, Watkins never lost sight of how to use power in the cause of justice. Hundreds of Minnesota students and educators have learned civil rights history firsthand at the table with Hollis. His life is a blueprint for making a better world. Below, we share some of the wisdom he shared with them.
Overcoming fear
An audience member once asked Watkins what quality he looks for in a president of the United States. He answered, “A person who has overcome fear. Not a fearless person, but someone who could overcome fear to do what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, to whom it needed to be done.” This included truth telling.
Intergenerational organizing
Watkins believed when generations come together in a space of equality and mutual respect, good things happen. He emphasized that the Civil Rights Movement was fundamentally intergenerational with teenagers like him, children, as well as people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and older working for racial justice. The respect Watkins had for children and youth is undeniable. In his own words, “If we bring young people to the table and put the vision question to them, they will deal with it. But there are too many of us older folks who are afraid to do that because we want to be in total control.”
Keep on singing
Watkins was a skilled vocalist and song leader who knew the power of song to mobilize, unite, and empower people engaged in struggle. “Freedom songs” were always an important part of his storytelling. In an unforgettable moment during a class visit at Stillwater State Correctional Institution, Watkins started leading songs, and before long, guards and prisoners were singing together: “Freedom, freedom, freedom come, and it won’t be long.”
You are not alone and contribute with what you have
Once a student asked Watkins, “I feel like I’m fighting a dragon and all I have is this nail clipper. What do I do?” Watkins pondered this, and said, “If I was fighting a dragon and all I had was a nail clipper, I would get to work on the toe of that dragon, knowing there were others working on the same dragon with other tools. Remember, you are not alone.”
Farming and health
Watkins grew up on the land, and he never lost his connection to farming. In different capacities, over many years, he applied his organizing to help Black farmers. Later in life, he cultivated blueberries and even as he shared wisdom on organizing, he sprinkled in nuggets for healthy living. One illustration; he preferred cayenne pepper because “it’s got superior health properties over other peppers, and you can make things as hot as they need to be.”
Labor, civil, and human rights
Watkins made no distinction between the civil rights and labor movements. The fight in 1961, 1981, 2001 or 2023, is for dignity at work, on the streets, and in the halls of government.
For Hollis Watkins, making positive change requires that we work together across our generational and institutional boundaries.
And it helps if we sing a little too.
Jeff Kolnick is a professor of History at Southwest Minnesota State University, Lena Jones is a Political Science instructor at Minneapolis College and Colleen Bell is professor emerita at Hamline University.