Katie McWatt

Katie McWatt (February 8, 1931 - April 19, 2010) was a civil rights leader and activist who worked primarily in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was the first African American person to run for the St. Paul City Council.

McWatt attended Minneapolis public schools for her primary and secondary education, and went on to the University of Minnesota for her undergraduate studies. She earned a bachelor's degree there in Speech and went on to study counseling and guidance at the University of North Dakota.

Career and activism McWatt began her career in education, first working as a student advisor for the Minnesota Employment Service Youth Opportunity Center. She then worked as a coordinator of Central High School’s Minority Education Program in St. Paul for 17 years until her retirement in 2000. She was also involved in various civic and community organizations, including serving as president of the St. Paul NAACP; director of the St. Paul Urban League; as first chair of the St. Paul Housing Committee; and on the boards of the League of Women Voters Minnesota, the Catholic Interracial Council, the Catholic Social Services, and the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. She was also a member of the Council of Black Minnesotans.

Along with fellow St. Paul activist Josie Johnson, McWatt began lobbying against housing discrimination in the 1960s. She also advocated for the construction of the St. Phillip's Garden affordable housing community, and was later arrested while protesting the hiring practices of St. Paul's building trades; at one point she and other protesters jumped into a construction ditch to halt work. As a result, union leadership ultimately decided to open up positions to African American workers. They were married for more than 55 years. The couple had four children and were long-term residents of the Summit-University neighborhood in St. Paul.

Legacy In April 2010, the St. Paul City Council named a portion of Dayton Avenue between Lexington Avenue and Dale Street "Katie McWatt Avenue" in honor of McWatt and her work. In 2021, she was featured in the Minnesota Historical Society's "Extraordinary Women" exhibit. She has also been included in the DFL Women's Hall of Fame and won an NAACP lifetime achievement award.

McWatt is also featured at the Victoria Street light rail station, in a permanent public art feature called "Faces of Rondo."