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.
“What I find out is when we bring them together, some of them don’t know each other, so they’re actually meeting for the first time,” Miller explained. “We’re such a small town and so many of our leaders are doing their thing to stay ahead. But sometimes you have to connect together, because you never know what this other man can do to help.” Providing opportunities to network together is a cornerstone of the Dunbar Heritage Association’s mission to build and celebrate community. “There’s positivity with the Black Kings,” Miller said. “It’s education, knowledge, sharing about Juneteenth... Father’s Day falls in June, but we didn’t want to focus only on fathers, but more of the men in our lives that really carry the torch for us to go the next step.
” The Dunbar Heritage Association was originally established by Harvey Miller, a hard-working Black who dedicated his life to building connections within his community. Miller was an organizer, a civil rights activist and an advocate, as well as a family man and role model who embodied the principles of a Black King. DHA continues Miller’s legacy by not only honoring the work of its community members, but also through preserving Black culture in San Marcos. Through social practices, traditions, rituals, knowledge, spiritual beliefs, language and artistic expression, DHA shares and celebrates Black culture with fellow San Marcans. Every year, DHA commemorates the annual Martin Luther King Jr. March and Celebration, Black History Month, Juneteenth and the Harvey Miller Day of Service in November, which honors the life-time contributions of the organization’s founder.
“My number one thing is education,” Mittie said. “Allowing people to know that the stigmatism of black men is not always negative. In 2024, we had seven black kings. In ’25, we added six more. So each year, they’re going to build. And we’re going to support them.” The Celebration Black Kings Awards originated with the New York Juneteenth Festival as a way to recognize influential male leaders who have impacted their community through personal and professional endeavors.
