Rev. JoAnn Watson, president of the UUMS board of directors, has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles for her decades of accomplishments in the areas of education, social justice, and community service. In the November 6, 2022, issue of the Detroit Free Press, Rev. JoAnn and the congregation at West Side Unity church were complimented for opening their doors as a neighborhood polling place for the mid-term elections on November 8. Rev. JoAnn serves as Senior Pastor of West Side Unity, which was founded by Rev. Dr. Ruth Mosley, founder of Unity Urban Ministerial School. The article highlights the influence and inspiration Rev. Watson received from the late Honorable Erma Henderson, the first Black woman to serve on Detroit’s City Council. Following in her sheroes’ footsteps, Rev. Watson served for ten years on the Detroit City Council. She was also the Executive Director of the Downtown Detroit YWCA and the NAACP Detroit Chapter. Rev. Watson received the âBeautiful Are Their Feet Awardâ at the 2021 Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. for Clergy and Lay Leadership. She is the host of Wake-Up Detroit!âa local radio and television talk show that features happenings and movers-and-shakers in the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan.Â
Article and photo excerpted from the Detroit Free Press by Scott Talley and Eric Seals, Sunday, November 6, 2022, Page 5A
