JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The City of Jackson honored civil rights activist Hezekiah Watkins by renaming a street after him on March 2, 2026.
Watkins, the longtime owner of the Corner Food Market on Dalton Street, has been a respected pillar of the community. Residents gathered at Dr. Robert Smith Parkway and Dalton Street to celebrate the street renaming.
Jackson issues formal apology to civil rights icon Hezekiah Watkins
At 13, Watkins was arrested as a Freedom Rider in Jackson during the Civil Rights Movement and sent to Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
In the decades since, Watkins has shared his story with visitors and students at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.
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