Mary Watkins was recently laid to rest in a beautiful ceremony at the Inglewood Park Cemetery and Mortuary surrounded by hundreds of families, friends, and admirers.
Honors and legislative awards were presented by Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer, Assemblymember Mike Gipson, and Ronald Wakabayashi, former Department of Justice Western Regional Director of the Civil Rights Division.
These recognitions added to the more than 20 city, county, state, and federal recognitions that Mary received in her lifetime for the work that she did on behalf of seniors, African American and Latino youth, victims of violence and her beloved neighbors.
Speakers included Pastors K.T. Morland, Worship in Truth Church, San Bernardino; Imam Hateem Shareef, Masjid Bilal Ibn Rahbah, Los Angeles; her son, Naim Shah Sr.; Pastor Rico Daughtery, United Christian Missionary Baptist Church, Los Angeles; her grandson, Imam Naim Shah Jr.; her grandson, former NFL player Karim Abdul Al Jabbar; actor/director Bill Duke; her grandson, Robert Khalid Watkins; her granddaughter, Lawanda Watkins-Monroe; and her son, Khalid Shah, who acknowledged a life well lived and expressed Mary’s wishes for continued unity in the community.
Also, acknowledging Mary’s contributions was Stop the Violence Community ambassadors, Watts Life, and Corvettes of Choice Car Club members and other organization that work together in the community to reduce violence and increase awareness about violence-related issues.
One of Mary’s longtime neighbors, Linda Sanders, stated, “Miss Mary possessed a captivating demeanor combined with her soft-spoken tone, she always had a powerful message that left a lasting impact. I will miss you, Miss Mary.”
Mary was born on December 10, 1924, to John Auguston and Ellen Brass in Monroe, Louisiana. Her quiet and reserve ability to communicate with people from all levels of society enabled Mary to work with doctors, lawyers, educators, heads of state and everyday people in the communities and neighborhoods where she lived and worked.
The oldest of 10 children, Mary was an adventurous spirit. She moved to Los Angeles in 1944 looking for a better life and greater opportunity.
There she met and married Bartha Bill Watkins, a young man who had also recently migrated from Arkansas who later became a well-known gospel artist with the group known as the Zion Travelers. They had three sons, Bartha Bill Jr., who later converted to Islam and became Naim Shah; Bob Robert Watkins, also converted to Islam at a youthful age, became Khalid Shah; and the youngest son, born on December 25, 1955, was Christian Earl Joseph Wakins.
While life in those days was hard, Mary never complained or pointed fingers. Her words were, “Life is a struggle. Nobody owes you anything. Put your hands in God’s hand and keep pushing!
Mary got a job at UCLA as a candy striper as well as working in the maintenance department. One of the doctor’s noticed the excellent nature of Mary’s work and told her about an entry-level nursing program at the college. He told her that it would require that she go back to school and do intense studies.
Her famous words were “failure was not an option.” She went back to night school at Jefferson High School, completed the required courses, and became a pediatric nurse at UCLA Hospital where she worked for more than 30 years.
She was a strong proponent of civil and human rights and received city, county, and federal commendations for her efforts in the community. Although Mary was a Christian by faith, she worked closely with Muslims, Christians, Jews, and anyone with a desire to make our community better.
Her work on behalf of Violence Prevention won her the Dr. Ananda Guruge Lifetime Commitment to Peace Award in 2013. People of all professions followed her path of true community engagement.
One of her granddaughters, Lawanda Miesha Watkins-Monroe, reminded those gathered that while lavishing praise on all the accomplished men in the family, do not forget the women. She said, “After all, all of us came from her and she was a woman. We love you, grandmother!”
Mary leaves behind a rich legacy of caring family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors whose kindness was the source of that beautiful smile.
