[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING HEZEKIAH WATKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 11, 2019

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
valiant and selfless community servant, Hezekiah Watkins.
  In the summer of 1961, Hezekiah Watkins sought out to see the Freedom 
Riders make history at the Greyhound bus station in Jackson, 
Mississippi. Though his mother warned him of his potential demise, 
their home being burned, and other risks of activism; Watkins couldn't 
be dissuaded from watching the protesters combat segregated public 
transportation up close and personal.
  At age 13, Watkins's life changed forever when he was pushed into the 
bus station, mistaken for an ``outside agitator,'' and sent to Parchman 
Farm, the Mississippi State Penitentiary. While incarcerated, Watkins 
was celled with two inmates convicted of murder, who tormented, 
molested, and physically abused him. They also stole his food leaving 
him with only scraps of fat, syrup and a biscuit. He was returned to 
his mother in Jackson five days later, who anticipated identifying his 
remains.
  Hearing of Watkins' incarceration, James Bevel, a prominent civil 
rights leader, visited Watkins' home in Jackson. While Watkins still 
had no intentions of joining the movement, Bevel insisted he was 
needed. After hearing Bevel deliver a powerful sermon at church, Bevel 
gained the trust of both Watkins and his mother, who believed Bevel was 
a God-sent man. She allowed Watkins to join the Freedom Riders under 
the sole condition that Bevel would keep him safe, which he did.
  Watkins participated in the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project, also 
known as Freedom Summer, where he and other activists worked to 
increase the black voter turnout in Mississippi. They also instituted 
Freedom Schools which worked to academically empower black students by 
offering free summer classes.
  Today, Watkins can be found at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in 
Jackson, not as a part of a display, but as an employee, sharing his 
story to daily visitors.

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