Jackson Mayor John Horhn delivers formal apology to civil rights icon Hezekiah Watkins

The Mississippi Link Newswire,

Mayor John Horhn delivered a formal public apology on behalf of the City of Jackson to civil rights icon Hezekiah Watkins during the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast Celebration, this week, at Greater Bethlehem Temple Church. The apology acknowledged the harm Watkins suffered as a 13-year-old when he was wrongfully arrested in Jackson during the Civil Rights Movement and sent to Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

Watkins, often recognized as Mississippi’s youngest Freedom Rider, was arrested at the Greyhound bus station in 1961 and transported to Parchman, where he was held on death row alongside adults, despite being a child. In the decades since, he has become a powerful voice for truth and reconciliation, sharing his story with visitors and students at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and serving his community as a longtime businessman and neighborhood leader.

“Today, the City of Jackson publicly acknowledges that what happened to Mr. Hezekiah Watkins as a child was wrong,” said Horhn. “He should never have been treated as a criminal for walking into a bus station in his own city, and he should never have carried the fear and humiliation that came with being sent to Parchman at 13 years old. Yet instead of allowing that trauma to harden his heart, Mr. Watkins turned his pain into purpose. Jackson is a better city because he chose to tell the truth, to teach our young people, and to keep believing in the possibility of a more just Mississippi.”

The apology builds on previous recognition from Horhn, including a proclamation declaring “Hezekiah Watkins Day” last year in honor of his courage, his work in civil and human rights, and his decades of community service in Jackson.

In accepting the apology, Watkins reflected on both the injustice he faced and his hope for future generations.

“I cannot forget what happened to me as a young boy, but I have never let it stop me from loving this city or from telling my story,” he said. “To receive this apology in my lifetime means a great deal, not just for me, but for every child who has ever felt that the system was stacked against them. My prayer is that Jackson will keep moving toward truth, toward justice, and toward a future where no young person has to go through what I went through.”

“Dr. King reminded us that greatness is found in service and that we are called to be drum majors for justice,” Horhn said. “By honoring Mr. Watkins and telling the truth about what he endured, we take a step toward the kind of city and state Dr. King envisioned. There is more work to do, and the City of Jackson is committed to doing that work.”