Wade Watts
Encyclopedia
Wade Watts was an African American
gospel
preacher
and civil rights activist from Oklahoma
. He served as the state president of the Oklahoma chapter of the NAACP
for sixteen years, challenging the Ku Klux Klan
through Christian
love doctrine. He worked with Thurgood Marshall
and developed a friendship with Martin Luther King during the American civil rights movement, and has been cited as a mentor by the current leader of the NAACP in Oklahoma, Miller Newman, and his nephew, former congressman
, J. C. Watts.
, to Charlie Alexander Watts and Mittie Harris on the hillside of the Kiamichi Mountains
. The family moved to Canada
, lived there 5 years, and then moved back to Oklahoma and settled in Eufaula.
When Wade was a young boy he made friends with a white boy and was invited to his home to play. The young boy's mother came to the door and told the boys that lunch was ready. Wade went inside and washed his hands and then proceeded to sit down at the kitchen table where he saw two plates sitting there. Wade's young friend said "You can't sit there, Wade, as those places are for me and my mama. Your lunch is outside on the back porch." Wade went outside and there was his friend's mama who handed him a dish of food. As Wade was eating a dog came up and started barking and tried to bite him. As he struggled with the dog his friend came outside and stated "The reason my dog is mad at you Wade, is because you're eating out of his dish!"
Wade joined the church at an early age. His strong drive for equality led him to join the NAACP when he was 17 years old and received his calling to the ministry in his early 30s.
on the Ada Lois Sipuel
challenge to segregation in the law school of Oklahoma University; consequently, the Supreme Court
ruled in 1948, in Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla.
, that barring Sipuel from the school was unconstitutional. In the late 1950s, Watts and Oklahoma State Senator
Gene Stipe
entered a restaurant. When a waitress stopped them at the door and told them that the restaurant "[did] not serve Negroes," Watts replied, "I don't eat Negroes. I just came to get some ham and eggs." He also worked to desegregate local institutions and, together with his brother, Buddy, ensured that his nephew, J.C. Watts, was one of the first black children to attend the newly integrated elementary school in their community. He rose to become the head of the NAACP in Oklahoma, and became friends with national leaders of the civil rights movement like Martin Luther King.
Jr. of Oklahoma. Wade had a total of 14 children. His firstborn froze to death in the Ada, Oklahoma hospital.
, on an Oklahoma City
radio station. Clary refused to shake Watts's hand before the broadcast, but Watts shook his hand anyway and introduced himself by telling Clary that Jesus loved him.
As they were leaving the radio station, Watts introduced Clary to his wife and the niece they were raising and asked Clary how he could hate the little girl, causing Clary to realize at the time that he could not. Watts reminded Clary whenever they spoke that God loved him, even responding to a threatening phone call from Clary (in which he was told that Clary and other Klansmen were coming for him) by telling Clary that it was unnecessary because he would meet Clary and buy him dinner. On one occasion, when a group of 30 or more clans men surrounded him in a restaurant, Clary told him to "think very carefully about what you do to that piece of chicken in front of you, because what ever you do to that chicken, we're going to do to you" upon which Watts picked up the chicken and kissed it causing even the clan members to laugh at his daring. When Clary renounced the KKK, he and Watts became close friends.
The current leader of the Oklahoma NAACP, Miller Newman, considers Watts—who was pastor of the Jerusalem Baptist Church in his hometown of McAlester, Oklahoma
for many years—to have had a great influence on his life.
than any black person in the state of Oklahoma," and yet it was a Republican who gave his uncle a decent job, a point his uncle conceded. Despite the disagreement, Watts still said he was proud of what his nephew had achieved , and J.C. Watts
continues to express admiration for his uncle.
where he served five years. He served four years on the Oklahoma Crime Commission, five years as Chaplain at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and Human Rights Commission. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards and commendations. He retired as Labor Inspector from the Oklahoma State Labor Commission in 1982. Although retired from an 8-5 job, he never gave up his desire for active public service. He continued to Pastor the Jerusalem Baptist Church in McAlester, Ok. until his health failed him.
Rev. Watts was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and in 1965 participated with Dr. King in the march for freedom, justice, and equality in Selma, Alabama
.
Rev. Watts met twice with President Jimmy Carter
on civil rights
issues. His speaking engagements took him to Russia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, and Washington D.C., where he spoke on numerous occasions, not to mention an uncountable number of engagements within his home state of Oklahoma. In 1984, he met in Frankfort, West Germany with 61 nations on providing food for the starving people in Africa. Upon returning to America, he contacted U.S. Senator David Boren and U.S. Senator Don Nickles
in an attempt to gain their assistance in contacting President Ronald Reagan
for his aid in sending helicopters to Africa
to deliver food.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and civil rights activist from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He served as the state president of the Oklahoma chapter of the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
for sixteen years, challenging the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
through Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
love doctrine. He worked with Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
and developed a friendship with Martin Luther King during the American civil rights movement, and has been cited as a mentor by the current leader of the NAACP in Oklahoma, Miller Newman, and his nephew, former congressman
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, J. C. Watts.
Early life
Wade Alexander Watts was born September 23, 1919, in Kiamichi, OklahomaKiamichi, Oklahoma
Kiamichi is a former community in northern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, six miles east of Tuskahoma, Oklahoma.A United States Post Office was established at Kiamichi, Indian Territory on September 27, 1887 and operated until September 14, 1962. The community and post office took its name from the...
, to Charlie Alexander Watts and Mittie Harris on the hillside of the Kiamichi Mountains
Kiamichi Mountains
The Kiamichi Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern Oklahoma. A subrange within the larger Ouachita Mountains that extend from Oklahoma to western Arkansas, the Kiamichi Mountains sit within Le Flore, Pushmataha, and McCurtain counties near the towns of Poteau and Albion...
. The family moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, lived there 5 years, and then moved back to Oklahoma and settled in Eufaula.
When Wade was a young boy he made friends with a white boy and was invited to his home to play. The young boy's mother came to the door and told the boys that lunch was ready. Wade went inside and washed his hands and then proceeded to sit down at the kitchen table where he saw two plates sitting there. Wade's young friend said "You can't sit there, Wade, as those places are for me and my mama. Your lunch is outside on the back porch." Wade went outside and there was his friend's mama who handed him a dish of food. As Wade was eating a dog came up and started barking and tried to bite him. As he struggled with the dog his friend came outside and stated "The reason my dog is mad at you Wade, is because you're eating out of his dish!"
Wade joined the church at an early age. His strong drive for equality led him to join the NAACP when he was 17 years old and received his calling to the ministry in his early 30s.
Civil Rights work
Watts worked to desegregate public facilities and institutions during the 1940s and 1950s. He worked with Thurgood MarshallThurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
on the Ada Lois Sipuel
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was a key figure in the Civil Rights movement in Oklahoma. She applied for admission into the University of Oklahoma law school in order to challenge the state's segregation laws and to become a lawyer...
challenge to segregation in the law school of Oklahoma University; consequently, the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
ruled in 1948, in Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla.
Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla.
Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla., 332 U.S. 631 is a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution....
, that barring Sipuel from the school was unconstitutional. In the late 1950s, Watts and Oklahoma State Senator
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
Gene Stipe
Gene Stipe
Eugene E. "Gene" Stipe is a former American politician from Oklahoma. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
entered a restaurant. When a waitress stopped them at the door and told them that the restaurant "[did] not serve Negroes," Watts replied, "I don't eat Negroes. I just came to get some ham and eggs." He also worked to desegregate local institutions and, together with his brother, Buddy, ensured that his nephew, J.C. Watts, was one of the first black children to attend the newly integrated elementary school in their community. He rose to become the head of the NAACP in Oklahoma, and became friends with national leaders of the civil rights movement like Martin Luther King.
Family
Wade spent most of his life in Pittsburg County. He married Betty Jean Garner on March 11, 1957. Wade was also the uncle of U.S. Congressman J.C. WattsJ.C. Watts
Julius Caesar "J. C." Watts, Jr. is an American politician from Oklahoma who was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and professionally in the Canadian Football League. Watts served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican, representing the 4th...
Jr. of Oklahoma. Wade had a total of 14 children. His firstborn froze to death in the Ada, Oklahoma hospital.
NAACP
As the state leader of the NAACP, Watts was a target of the Ku Klux Klan and in 1979 had the opportunity to debate the Grand Dragon of the Oklahoma KKK, Johnny Lee ClaryJohnny Lee Clary
Johnny Lee Clary is a former Ku Klux Klan leader who became a Pentecostal Christian and now travels around the globe preaching the gospel and teaching against racism and hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo Nazis, and Aryan Nations...
, on an Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
radio station. Clary refused to shake Watts's hand before the broadcast, but Watts shook his hand anyway and introduced himself by telling Clary that Jesus loved him.
As they were leaving the radio station, Watts introduced Clary to his wife and the niece they were raising and asked Clary how he could hate the little girl, causing Clary to realize at the time that he could not. Watts reminded Clary whenever they spoke that God loved him, even responding to a threatening phone call from Clary (in which he was told that Clary and other Klansmen were coming for him) by telling Clary that it was unnecessary because he would meet Clary and buy him dinner. On one occasion, when a group of 30 or more clans men surrounded him in a restaurant, Clary told him to "think very carefully about what you do to that piece of chicken in front of you, because what ever you do to that chicken, we're going to do to you" upon which Watts picked up the chicken and kissed it causing even the clan members to laugh at his daring. When Clary renounced the KKK, he and Watts became close friends.
The current leader of the Oklahoma NAACP, Miller Newman, considers Watts—who was pastor of the Jerusalem Baptist Church in his hometown of McAlester, Oklahoma
McAlester, Oklahoma
McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant....
for many years—to have had a great influence on his life.
Political views
Watts was a life-long Democrat and took issue with his nephew's position as a national leader in the Republican party—which Watts viewed as opposing the interests of "poor people, working people, [and] common people." The nephew countered by saying his support of the Republican party stemmed from his perception that the Democrats had let his uncle down, saying that his uncle had "delivered more black votes for the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
than any black person in the state of Oklahoma," and yet it was a Republican who gave his uncle a decent job, a point his uncle conceded. Despite the disagreement, Watts still said he was proud of what his nephew had achieved , and J.C. Watts
J.C. Watts
Julius Caesar "J. C." Watts, Jr. is an American politician from Oklahoma who was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and professionally in the Canadian Football League. Watts served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican, representing the 4th...
continues to express admiration for his uncle.
Political career
During his many years of community service he was appointed to the Civil Rights Commission under President Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
where he served five years. He served four years on the Oklahoma Crime Commission, five years as Chaplain at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and Human Rights Commission. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards and commendations. He retired as Labor Inspector from the Oklahoma State Labor Commission in 1982. Although retired from an 8-5 job, he never gave up his desire for active public service. He continued to Pastor the Jerusalem Baptist Church in McAlester, Ok. until his health failed him.
Rev. Watts was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and in 1965 participated with Dr. King in the march for freedom, justice, and equality in Selma, Alabama
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
.
Rev. Watts met twice with President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
on civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
issues. His speaking engagements took him to Russia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, and Washington D.C., where he spoke on numerous occasions, not to mention an uncountable number of engagements within his home state of Oklahoma. In 1984, he met in Frankfort, West Germany with 61 nations on providing food for the starving people in Africa. Upon returning to America, he contacted U.S. Senator David Boren and U.S. Senator Don Nickles
Don Nickles
Donald Lee Nickles is an American businessman and politician who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 until 2005. He was a fiscal and social conservative.-Early life:...
in an attempt to gain their assistance in contacting President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
for his aid in sending helicopters to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to deliver food.