Jackson Mayor Issues Historic Apology to Youngest Freedom Rider Hezekiah Watkins

Mayor John Horhn issued a historic public apology to Hezekiah Watkins, the youngest Freedom Rider, during the annual Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus Prayer Breakfast on January 19, 2026. The apology, delivered in front of lawmakers, clergy, and community leaders, acknowledged the injustice Watkins endured as a 13-year-old boy when Jackson officials turned him over to the state and sent him to Parchman Prison in 1961.

"Fear and humiliation placed on him as a child were wrong and should never have happened," Mayor Horhn said. "On behalf of the city of Jackson, on behalf of our city council and as Mayor, it is my honor to offer an apology to Hezekiah Watkins and to say a word of thanks—an apology for what was done to him in the name of the law. And thanks for the way he has spent his life lifting up truth and hope instead of bitterness."

The mayor called Watkins to the stage, where he told the assembled crowd, "This never should have happened. This never should have happened in our community. But in some ways, I'm so glad that it did. Because you changed history."

Watkins was moved by the recognition. "That would be here for the rest of my life," Watkins said, gesturing to his heart. "They got it right. They got it right. Out of all these African American mayors you have, they were there based on us. Right? That was based on us getting folks out, you know? It's great. It's an honor. I wanted to cry. Just makes me feel good."

Watkins' story continues to resonate nationally. ABC News is scheduled to air a profile on Watkins on Monday, January 19, further amplifying his powerful testimony and the significance of this historic apology.

The Story Behind the Apology

In 1961, Watkins was a curious 13-year-old boy living in Jackson who had been watching news coverage of the Birmingham Campaign and Freedom Riders on television. Fascinated by what he was seeing, he and a friend concocted a plan to fake a stomach bug after church one Sunday to sneak out and see the activists themselves as they traveled through downtown Jackson's Greyhound station.

The boys bicycled down to the bus station, only to find that the Freedom Riders had already been rounded up and arrested. They began playing on the sidewalk, running up and down, drinking out of "White's Only" water fountains, and embracing their newfound freedom.

However, their fun quickly ended when Watkins' friend jokingly pushed him into the doors of the Greyhound station and ran off. Before he could exit, a security officer caught up with him and asked for his name and birthplace.

"I gave him my name. I told him I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And when I said Milwaukee, he said out loud, 'I have another one over here!'" Watkins recalled.

Thinking that he was from up North like many of the other riders, he was quickly ushered away from the station and taken to the infamous Parchman Prison, where he was held on death row despite being only a child.

The city had previously recognized Watkins on September 6, 2025—his birthday—when Mayor Horhn declared it Hezekiah Watkins Day in Jackson. The January 19 apology built upon that recognition with a formal acknowledgment of the injustice done to him.

Today, Watkins serves as a docent at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, where he shares his story with visitors each Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and noon. As a living part of history, one of his greatest enjoyments is getting to teach younger generations the importance of embracing the past to create a better future.

"I want all of them to take advantage of the privilege they have today that we didn't have," Watkins said. "That's what we've fought for. That's what a lot of them died for."