Retired U.S. Rep. Diane Watson places her hand over her heart as she is applauded Aug. 28 as the city of Los Angeles named the intersection of Coliseum Place and Victoria Avenue Diane Watson Corridor. Watson, now 91, represented South Los Angeles on the Los Angeles school board, the state Senate and Congress, serving for more than 30 years.
Courtesy photo
Wave Staff Report
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — The intersection of Coliseum Place and South Victoria Avenue will now be known as Diane Watson Corridor after a ceremony conducted by City Councilman Heather Hutt Aug. 28 honored the retired elected official who served South Los Angeles on the Los Angeles school board, the state Legislature and Congress during a career that spanned more than 30 years.
“From her roots as an educator and psychologist to her decades of service on the L.A. Unified school board, in the California State Senate and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Diane Watson dedicated her life to improving the lives of her fellow Angelenos,” Hutt said in an invitation to the ceremony.
Born in Los Angeles, Watson graduated from Dorsey High School and attended UCLA, graduating in 1956 with a degree in education. She received a master’s degree in school psychology from Cal State Los Angeles in 1967 and a PhD in educational administration from Claremont Graduate University in 1987.
She taught elementary school and served as a school psychologist in the Los Angeles Unified School District before being elected to the Los Angeles Unified school board in 1975. She was the first Black woman to serve on the board.
In 1978, she became the first Black woman elected to the state Senate, where she served for 20 years.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton appointed her as U.S. ambassador to Micronesia. She left that post in 2001 to run for Congress in a special election created by the death of Rep. Julian Dixon. She won that election and was reelected to Congress four times before retiring. She was replaced in Congress by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in 2011.
Among those attending the Aug. 28 ceremony were county Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Los Angeles school Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
Mitchell called Watson “one of L.A.’s greatest champions” who “paved the way for so many of us.”
“From leading the fight for school integration to championing higher standards and expanded opportunities for children through vital programs like Head Start, Diane Watson has always stood boldly for the people she served,” Mitchell said. “It is only fitting that these streets — home to the Diane E. Watson Career Training Center — now bear her name as well.”
Carvalho saluted Watson as a “lifelong educator, public servant, and trailblazer.”
“Congresswoman Watson has dedicated her life to uplifting communities, expanding educational opportunities and advocating for health care and humanitarian aid,” Carvalho said. “Her tireless work continues to inspire generations of students and leaders across Los Angeles.”
In November 2023, the county Board of Supervisors honored Watson on her 90th birthday by declaring Diane Watson Week.
This past June, West Los Angeles College named a 16,000-square-foot soundstage training facility in her honor.
