On June 28, the Dunbar Heritage Association hosted its second annual “Celebration of Black Kings Awards” to conclude the organization’s month-long commemoration of Juneteenth. The Black Kings Awards acknowledge the contributions of six esteemed Black men from San Marcos and the greater Hays County community.
Each honoree exemplifies one of the Kwanzaa Principles of leadership and character, which include unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. “We based it off of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and each one of them had a unique meaning for each letter,” Vice President of DHA Mittie Miller said. “The reason why we chose the Black Kings is to uplift and empower the black men while also promoting unity and cultural appreciation.”
This year’s honorees include Ralph Merryweather for Umoja - Unity; Charles Austin for Kujichagulia - Self Determination; Luther D. Webster, Jr. for Ujamaa - Cooperative Economics; Eric Charleswell for Nia - Purpose honoree; Robert Jones for Kuuma - Creativity; David Peterson for Ujima - Collective Work and Responsibility honoree; and Craig Hudson, Jr. for Imani - Faith. DHA also extended a special honor to Alex Banbury, Jr., the association’s president, for his tireless commitment to building community within the Hays County area. According to Miller, the purpose of celebrating Black Kings is to uplift the strong Black men who serve as role models within our community and to give these men an opportunity to meet.
