[citation needed] Watson's first foray into Indigenous rights activism started when he was just 16, handing out how-to-vote cards at the 1967 referendum.

[6] The new party's manifesto was declared at a conference held at Queensland University from 28 January to 2 February 1972, saying that it would "work in a revolutionary way to achieve human rights for Aboriginal people and the alleviation of racism and racist government policy".

[3] He protested the Bjelke-Petersen government's treatment of Aboriginal people, and marched against the 1971 Springbok rugby tour, the Vietnam war, and for civil liberties.

[15] In December 2009, Watson was appointed a deputy director at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland and taught two courses in Black Australian Literature.

[16] In October 2009, Watson was one of several people who criticised the supermarket chain Coles for naming its house brand line of biscuits "Creole Creams".

[9] His essay, Blood on the Boundary, shortlisted for the 2017 Horne Prize, was highly commended by the judges who commented that it "stands out for its vigour, for its muscularity and recklessness of style.

Queensland deputy premier Jackie Trad said that "Across more than half a century, he made an indelible contribution to the advancement of the rights of Indigenous Australians".

[21] In July 2020 memorial to Watson was created in the form of a mural in Bunyapa Park, in West End, Brisbane, painted by Kamilaroi street artist Warraba Weatherall.