DBT40 Honoree: AliShah Watson

Title: Executive Director

AliShah Watson | DBT PHOTO BY LUIGI CIUFFETELLI

Workplace: Culture Restoration Project, Inc.

Age: 38

AliShah Watson is a passionate voice for cultural development for the most vulnerable youth and families in Wilmington. As the founder of the region’s only African-centered nonprofit to offer culturally competent and responsive programs, Watson is focused on working to lift up Delaware’s children between kindergarten and 12th grade through the Culture Restoration Project.

After leaving a job at Bank of America, Watson worked  tirelessly with local government and philanthropic funders to boost the grassroots organization. Not only is she responsible for managing staff and strategic planning for the organization’s future, she has also developed five curriculum-based programs for vulnerable children that are currently used in three schools and four community centers in the Wilmington area. Through Watson’s leadership, the Culture Restoration Project serves about 500 students in the area. Today, she directs a team and guides the Culture Restoration Project’s strategic plan, as well as manages its funds.

Watson also served on the first board that linked University of Delaware’s Africana Studies Department with the greater Wilmington region and she worked with legislators on a bill that mandates teaching Black History in Delaware schools. Her advocacy work didn’t stop there, however. She also worked with City of Wilmington government officials to raise the Pan-African Flag in front of the Louis Redding City/County Building.

A proud mother of two, Watson is a lupus survivor who overcame several health challenges, including time on life support after a life-threatening heart failure in 2016. She is now a self-described foodie that loves plant-based food and enjoys sewing and crafting.