What defines a hero? Rock Hill seeks nominees for the 2024 Freedom Walkway inductees
To honor citizens who pursued justice and equality to improve Rock Hill, there is a new call this year for nominees to grace the Freedom Walkway memorial.
The city is asking the public’s help with identifying local heroes and to submit recommendations by June 28. A ceremony honoring the winning nominees takes place in November. Nominees may be historical figures or present-day pioneers making an impact.
Located off Main Street in Old Town Rock Hill neighborhood, the walkway is an artistic representation of the city’s history of struggle and equality. Each element, from boulders symbolizing obstacles faced to nine cylinders honoring the Friendship Nine, holds profound significance. Beyond a mere museum, the walkway itself is a piece of history for future generations.
Stephen Turner, the Freedom Walkway committee chairman, said there have been 38 heroes honored who have supported social justice and equality efforts in Rock Hill. He is amazed they have found so many.
“Many people in Rock Hill’s history have sacrificed to achieve greater justice and equality for the people in rock hill, and in most cases those people have been forgotten and their stories were not told,” Turner said. “I didn’t know when we started this process if we would identify six or eight people and run out of nominees, but that hasn’t happened.”
The walkway has supported social justice and equality in Rock Hill for the past nine years.
“The members of the committee usually vote for about two or three people who are selected for honors each year,” Turner told The Herald. He added, “Some nominations are good but don’t receive as many votes. The good thing is they can be resubmitted the following year.”
The current challenge facing the committee is finding enough space on the pavement to continue displaying the names of the heroes.
“There’s no way we can effectively tell people’s stories in this limited space; there are just too many. So we are exploring other areas around the walkway,” Turner noted.
Juan Logan and Laurel Holtzapple, the artists who designed the Freedom Walkway, shared their favorite aspects of the structure during a video interview created and posted at www.freedomwalkway.com.
Logan emphasized the significance of the word “fatigue” painted on the wall, describing it as illustrating how many people felt after years of fighting for equality.
“Can you imagine struggling for freedom for 400 years plus and how tired you would be?” Logan said on video.
“I feel like this walkway adds to the urban fabric,” Holtzapple said on video. “I feel like it gives people hope and creates a sense of place. Everything about this walkway is Rock Hill.”
What is Freedom Walkway?
Established in 2016, the Freedom walkway Project was created to recognize individuals who have made historic progress towards justice and equality in Rock Hill.
In 2015, after the trespassing convictions of the Freedom Nine had been dropped, it sparked the idea to highlight history-makers and individuals who, in some cases, risked their jobs or even their lives to effect change for Rock Hill’s future, the freedomwalkway.com website states.
Organizers said Freedom Walkway is more than a historic monument, but meant “to inspire and empower future generations to strive for equality and justice in their own day and time.”
Requirements for nominations
The Freedom Walkway committee requires nominees meet all of the following conditions:
▪ Persons who Live or lived in the Rock Hill / York County area
▪ Persons who played a significant role through advocacy or actions in promoting equality and justice for all citizens in Rock Hill/York County
▪ Challenged community norms while demonstrating unselfish leadership, perseverance and sacrifice, despite potential risk to reputation, livelihood, safety or even their lives.
If you know someone who should be nominated, names may be submitted at this link: www.freedomwalkway.com/nominate
This story was originally published June 21, 2024 at 6:00 AM.