Joyce Watkins, the first Black woman exonerated in Tennessee, is making waves as she champions justice with the Tennessee Innocence Project. Watkins, who spent decades in prison before her murder conviction was overturned, is now sharing her story to raise awareness about wrongful convictions.
Exoneration Journey: A Triumph of Justice
Joyce Watkins and her then-boyfriend Charlie Dunn were wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering her four-year-old great-niece, Brandi, in the late 1980s. The case, which took place in Davidson County, was handled by Nashville courts.
For years, both Watkins and Dunn maintained their innocence. Their persistence caught the attention of the Tennessee Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals.
Jason Gichner, Chief Legal Counsel at the Tennessee Innocence Project, recalls, “If you spend about two minutes with her, you know that Joyce Watkins, it is not possible that she did what she was convicted of doing.”
Tennessee Innocence Project: Championing the Wrongfully Convicted
The Tennessee Innocence Project began litigating cases in 2019. Since then, they have exonerated six people who collectively served 147 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit.
Gichner emphasizes the importance of their work: “When we’re talking about an exoneration, we’re talking about proving that somebody is innocent, and they didn’t actually do the thing they were sent to prison for.”
The organization investigates each case thoroughly before taking it on, ensuring they believe in the innocence of those they represent.
Expanding Reach: Bringing Justice to East Tennessee
While much of the Tennessee Innocence Project’s work has been concentrated in rural areas, Nashville, and Memphis, they are now setting their sights on East Tennessee.
“East Tennessee is, frankly, a place where the Tennessee Innocence Project wants to work more cases,” Gichner stated. “There are innocent people in East Tennessee serving time for crimes that they didn’t commit.”
To further this goal, the organization is hosting back-to-back events featuring Joyce Watkins as the keynote speaker.
Joyce Watkins: Inspiring Change Through Her Story
Watkins is scheduled to speak at two events in East Tennessee. The first event will take place on July 23 at the Landing House in Knoxville, followed by another on July 24 at Leconte Realty in Maryville.
These events provide a platform for Watkins to share her experience and raise awareness about the critical work of the Tennessee Innocence Project.
Lane Schuler, a Knoxville Hip-Hop Artist and contact for the East Tennessee faction of the nonprofit, expressed his support: “I’m proud to help the Tennessee Innocence Project work to right our wrongs in our wonderful state by freeing our innocent.”
