To celebrate Black History Month, we’ll be using each Day in Denver History segment throughout February to spotlight a Black Denverite who has helped shape our city. This week: Lauren Watson.
An early figure in Denver’s racial justice movement, Lauren Watson was a key voice in influencing politics through activism from the 1960s onward. A graduate of Manual High School and Metropolitan State University, Watson also spent time in Los Angeles and the Bay area where he connected with the Black Panther Party. He later returned to the Mile High to start a local chapter of the Panthers, after being encouraged by organization founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
Watson made national news and television history when “Trial: The City and County of Denver vs. Lauren R. Watson,” a first-of-its-kind documentary about his 1970 trial for resisting arrest, aired. Other than running for office only once in Colorado — he lost to incumbent Elvin Caldwell for the City Council District 9 seat — Watson preferred to do his work in the community, participating in Vietnam War demonstrations and forging connections with leaders of the Chicano Movement. Watson passed away in 2019, leaving behind a legacy of activism and direct action that lives on through social justice-rooted politicians and community groups today.
Special thanks to the Denver Post and Westword for background information, especially a 1995 two-part series on Lauren Watson by Eric Dexheimer for Westword.
