Jackson Mayor John Horhn delivered a formal public apology to Hezekiah Watkins, who was imprisoned as a child during the civil rights movement in Mississippi.
Watkins, widely recognized as Mississippi’s youngest Freedom Rider – a civil rights activist group that participated in integrated bus rides through the segregated South – was just 13 years old when he was wrongfully arrested at the Greyhound bus station in Jackson in 1961. The Freedom Riders at the station were charged with breach of peace with Watkins being sent to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman and held alongside death row inmates.
Horhn issued the apology during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Prayer Breakfast at Greater Bethlehem Temple Church on Monday.
“Today, the City of Jackson publicly acknowledges that what happened to Mr. Hezekiah Watkins as a child was wrong,” Horhn said. “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.”
Horhn praised Watkins for transforming personal trauma into a lifetime of service, education, and advocacy.
“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.” Horhn said.
In the decades since his arrest, Watkins has become a prominent voice for truth and reconciliation. He regularly shares his story with students and visitors at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and has long served Jackson as a business and community leader.
The apology follows earlier recognition from the mayor’s office, including a proclamation last year declaring “Hezekiah Watkins Day,” in honor of his courage and decades of community service.
Watkins said the apology carried meaning not just for him, but 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,” Watkins 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.”
Horhn said the moment reflects the broader responsibility of confronting the city’s past.
“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.”
