Funeral held for former Detroit City Council member Reverend Dr. JoAnn Watson
(CBS DETROIT) - The funeral for former Detroit City Council member Reverend Dr. JoAnn Watson was held Saturday in Detroit at Fellowship Chapel. It was a celebration of a life spent in service to others.
Those who showed up to say their goodbyes to Watson did so with the joy of music as well as the somberness of losing someone who meant so much to so many people.
City council member Coleman Young II shared stories of how Watson mentored him when he was aspiring to serve the city of Detroit as a youth and how she helped many.
"Her legacy of righteousness will never be forgotten. Her life was exemplified by the quote, "Power is only important as an instrument to serve the powerless with," said Young.
Others talked about the power of Watson's commitment to her community and the people she served.
"There aren't enough resolutions in the world to satisfy what JoAnne Watson has done for this community for the last, I don't know, how many years. She truly is a legend," said Warren Evans, Wayne County Executive. "And on behalf of the 1.8 million people that reside in Wayne County, and whether a few of them know it or not, have benefited greatly from her work over the years."
Watson became the first woman to serve as executive director at the Detroit NAACP and was a former delegate to the 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism.